Winx Club The Earth Fairy Chronicles
by Evilness321
Summary: Terra is about to learn the power of Belief of others. Can she learn to belief in her own mysterious power that is about to emerge? And will the Winx Club be able to convince her to go to Alfea, where she'll be the safest from the Fairy Hunters?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Comments- **

Okay, before we get going with this I just want to make something clear, while this story IS about the last Earth Fairy, it's NOT about Roxy. In this story, she never existed. And, the story focusses on the main character, which is not Bloom and her gang, though they do play a major part in the story in finding who the last Earth Fairy is. Once the Earth Fairy is in Alfea, this story focusses on HER, not Bloom and her friends.

Reason why I've set this story in California, is because on Youtube (Where I watch most of my Winx Club) In the ads, it shows as Gardenia being somewhere on the coast of California. At least that's What I've seen/deduced. Also, I'm not going in to the whole details of Miss Faragonda asking the Winx to go to Earth and find the Earth Fairy. That's a given that it would happen.

And I'm only going to focus on my Earth Fairy mainly, so there won't be the whole fight between Aurora, Diana, etc. This story is about the Earth Fairy, not Bloom and her friend's struggles. But the Fairy Hunters, Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Dumon will be here.

There's most likely to be some similarities between this and the cannon, there were bits that I really liked, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Ok, now that I've got those facts out in the open, I've had lots of fun developing these characters and I hope keeping in mind the first few paragraphs here in the Author's Comments while reading, that you'll have fun reading. Please, if you don't like my story and think that Bloom should be the main character, or think that Roxy shouldn't be replaced, keep it to yourself. I don't need to be told how to write my story. If you come to this with an open mind, I do hope that you'll have fun reading it! I know a few of my friends have been wanting me to write this story for a while, so here it is...!

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><p><strong>Winx Club- <strong>

**The Earth Fairy Chronicles**

**Chapter One: Gardenia's Other Fairy Part One**

Terra Didiere lived in Gardenia, California, a city at the coast line of the state with beaches and waves to talk about all year round. Her hair was shoulder length and wavy, onyx black with magenta highlights in her bangs and streaks in the rest of her hair. These were natural for her, she didn't have to dye her hair. Which she loved. It was a particularly cool summer day, she'd been up since seven, eager to hit the malls and go to the park with her beloved Golden Retriever dog, a yellow blond, long furred female named Sadie.

Today, Terra wore a t-shirt that was purple in the front, had a v-neck, and was rather long past her waist. Her shirt was dark purple in the center, the sleeves were light purple, while the neck, sleeves and bottom of the shirt were trimmed in inch-thick long magenta stripes. Her pants were knee length, black soft slacks with slits on the outside about three inches long. Her shoes were platforms and purple and black to match her outfit.

Her friends were for the most part out for the summer with their families. One was going to Yosemete National Park, the other was traveling the country going to as many theme parks as she possibly could. But for Terra, she was happy just staying in Gardenia with her father, who owned a fairly popular pet store. Walking down the familiar streets with her dog, she reached the park where she pulled out a vibrantly colored tennis ball, which got Sadie jumping and barking as she unhooked her dog from her leash.

"Go long, girl!" She shouted, and the dog ran for it, several feet away from her before she threw the ball. She'd heard of strange incidences in the city over the last few days, but that didn't stop her from giving her dog plenty of much needed exercise.

It was while she was throwing the ball for her dog- who didn't always want to let go of said ball- that a flash of light caught her attention. Looking up she saw six differently colored lights. Upon looking closer, it was a group of girls with wings, the very girls that had been rumored to be flying around Gardenia the last several days. She didn't really think she'd get to see the girls. But they did look like Fairies, after all.

When Sadie barked at her, she looked down and threw the ball once more. She looked back up, but the six fairies were gone. She felt her dog pressing against her leg to get her attention, then suddenly recoiled as Sadie put her mouth right on her hand, and she came in contact with dog slobber.

"Sadie!" She exclaimed. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

The dog barked again, through the tennis ball, and she gave an annoyed sigh.

"Give it." She said in a tone of surrender. After all, she did come here to play with her dog, not stare at a bunch of fairies.

On her way home, she saw what looked like a new pet store, and stopped to look through the window.

* * *

><p>"We still haven't found the fairy." Complained Musa.<p>

"We've only been here a few days, and besides, Gardenia's a big place. Maybe our store will attract her." Suggested Tecna.

"We've been working like dogs since we got here. I liked Alfea better." Groaned Stella, feeling particularly grumpy since she'd not been able to get her normal beauty rest. "Poor Brandon won't even recognize me with these bags under my eyes!"

One of their pets was running over to the window. A girl they'd seen earlier was bending over and smiling at the poodle as it danced around for her.

"Sorry, but we're not open yet." Stella walked over. "You can come back tomorrow when we're finished setting up, ok?" And she closed the curtains.

"Stella!" Bloom said in alarm at her apparent rudeness to the girl, and watched as the poodle went under the curtains to entertain the stranger.

Terra gave an un-lady like 'humph' that normally annoyed her dad, at the rude blond girl. But the poodle snuck underneath the curtain that she'd closed in her face, and danced around for her some more.

"You're so adorable!" Smiled Terra, putting her hand on the glass. "I wish you a long life with a good owner... anyone but that rude prima donna."

Sadie started pulling on the leash to go home or to the pet store that her dad owned.

"All right, all right, let's go." Terra stood up, unaware of the blast of magic energy that she just sent through the shop.

Bloom had just been in the middle of reprimanding Stella for her rudeness to customers, when she and everyone in the pet-store to be was knocked off her feet by what felt like a blast of magical energy.

"What on earth was that?" Asked Flora, looking rather winded herself.

"It felt like a blast of magical energy." Said Tecna as she stood up.

"You think it could've been the wizards of the Black Circle?" Asked Aisha.

"If that's the case we should go Enchantix and find them first. They could've found a clue to the last Earth Fairy that we don't know yet!" Said Bloom, still a little shaken.

Terra was trying to decide if she should go to the pet store or home when she looked up again and saw the same six fairies from earlier, after people around her started pointing up in awe and shock. The appearance of the fairies didn't cause quite the stir they did when they first turned up, the people of Gardenia were starting to get used to them.

"The trail is stronger here!" Said Aisha from her spot up in the sky above the city.

"I can feel it too!" Nodded Musa.

"Let's follow it and see where it leads us." Suggested Bloom.

"There are so many people down there... It's hard to tell which one of them it's coming from." Sighed Stella in mild frustration.

"I doubt it's from any of them if it was caused by the Wizards of the Black Circle." Tecna pointed out.

"But what if it's not from the Wizards? What if it's from the fairy we're looking for?" Suggested Musa on a random thought.

There was a pause as it all dawned on them.

"Either way, lets hurry, the trail is getting weaker!" Said Bloom suddenly.

"Look!" Tecna pointed down at another pet store several blocks away from their own Love and Pet.

"That girl with that adorable dog from earlier." Blinked Flora.

"And the magic trail is going in to that pet store even... Should we follow?" Asked Aisha.

"I think so. If that's the one we're looking for, then we need to hurry. It's such a small shop though..." Bloom looked at the building. "I think only a couple of us should go in there. We don't want to get it cramped up, in case the Wizards turn up."

"Some of us should stay outside in case the Wizards DO turn up. We can alert you if they decide to." Tecna looked at the group.

"Bloom, why don't you and I go in? We can pretend we're looking around for ideas for our own pet shop and getting it off the ground." Said Aisha. "I think if Stella went in with you, it might cause some tension with their last encounter and all."

"Good idea." The girls landed behind the bushes near the pet store, and transformed back in to their civilian forms before Bloom and Aisha went inside.

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><p>"Hey daddy, I'm back from walking Sadie!" Terra called when she came in to the pet shop.<p>

"Oh, good, Terra you're just in time. Can you help me feed the lizards?" Asked the black haired man who had just come from the back room behind the desk.

"Sure thing." Terra nodded, unhooking Sadie from her leash to let her roam freely in the shop. Instead of bounding around everywhere, Sadie went to her favorite spot in front of the cashier's table and laid down next to a box of some of her toys. Terra meantime was pulling out a jar of crickets and other insects for the gecko lizards in one of the heated tanks. "Here you go little babies, eat up." She said right as the door to the shop dinged when Bloom and Aisha entered.

"Ah! Customers!" Her father said.

"Bloom, look..." Aisha whispered, pointing at Terra who was currently feeding the lizards. "The magic trail led us right to her."

"So it wasn't from the Wizards." Muttered Bloom.

"Can I help you ladies?" Asked the man, approaching Bloom and Aisha. "I'm Carl Didiere, owner of this pet store."

"Ah, just the person we wanted to see." Smiled Bloom as Terra moved on to the next tank of lizards bathing in the heated lamp light they provided. "See, we're starting our own pet shop and we were coming in to see if there was anything we could learn from a more experienced owner?"

"Oh! You must be the owners of that Love and Pet I've been hearing about. Well, you've come to the right place." Carl smiled kindly at the young ladies. "Now you, young lady, I recognize from somewhere..." He added.

"Yes, I'm Bloom and I grew up in Gardenia. This is my friend Aisha, we met at the school I go to."

"Ah, now I remember. So you want advice on running your own pet store? No problem, always glad to be of help. We might even get a partnership going if you want." Carl started showing Bloom around as Aisha moved towards Terra.

"Those lizards are so cute." She said.

"Aren't they? It's going to be so hard to give them up when someone comes to find them." Sighed Terra, scratching one of the lizards eating crickets on the head.

It was as Terra was touching the lizards that Aisha felt the wave of magic once again, but at least it didn't knock her and Bloom off their feet this time.

* * *

><p>"Good, Aisha and that girl are getting off to a friendly start." Said Flora from outside the shop. "Those animals are so adorable in there."<p>

"The cats and dogs, sure, but those lizards? UGH." Stella flipped her hair imperiously in a show of her disgust.

"Stella, we won't get very far with that girl if you keep reacting like that." Tecna warned. "We need to be friends with her if we are going to prove she's the last Earth fairy."

"I hope not, because that means I'll have to put up with those disgusting toads and lizards." Huffed Stella.

"I can't believe you Stella," Said Musa. "You'd really forsake the fate of an entire world because you can't get past your liking of those animals?"

"If it means not having to ruin my outfits, then I'd avoid them if I were you." Stella was leaning against the fence that went around the pet shop.

"So what's your name? I'm Aisha." Aisha introduced herself to the girl.

"Terra. Terra Didiere. I help my dad run this store." Smiled Terra at the dark skinned girl as she moved to the cats to check their water and food. "Calm down guys," She added as the kittens ran up to her with another wave of magic energy following them.

"What about your mother? Isn't she around to help out?" Blinked Aisha in surprise.

"Nope. Mom died when I was really young. So it's just dad and me. But we do pretty good." Smiled Terra.

"I'm sorry." Aisha truly was sorry. Though her parents may have been strict to the extreme sometimes, she still loved her mother and father. "Whoops..." She caught a kitten who was trying to play escape artist as Terra moved to fill the water bowls again.

"Tom, you little escapee, you just love to follow me around." Smiled Terra as she talked cute to the orange and yellow striped kitten who mewed at her when she came back. "Thanks for your help. So you like animals too?"

"Oh yes. I'm in charge of training and their fitness at our store in fact." Smiled Aisha.

"I hope to come by and see it sometime, but we can get so busy here during the middle and end of the week." Terra plucked the kitten from Aisha's hands and put it back in the overly large kennel after putting the fresh water bowls in. She glanced over at her father, who was still deep in discussion with the red haired girl Bloom about the business of owning a pet store and caring for animals while making sure they are ready to be adopted.

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><p>After a while, Bloom and Aisha emerged from the shop.<p>

"Well?" Asked Musa.

"It was the girl. She said her name's Terra, but I didn't say anything about the magical energy wave earlier." Replied Aisha. "And she's got a very strong affinity with animals. Also... I did learn something else... She said her mother died when she was still very small, but somehow I'm not thinking that's the case if her father is mortal and she knows next to nothing about her mother."

"What we need to do is keep an eye on her." Said Bloom. "Make sure the Wizards of the Black Circle don't get to her before she even has a chance to transform and find out for herself who she is."

"You really think that's possible?" Said Stella, pointing down the road as the dimensional warp appeared, and the four wizards emerged from it once again as they had done back in Alfea.

"So this is where the little fairy from Earth is?" Asked Ogron.

"How disappointing..." Gantlos frowned. "It's just another annoying pet store."

"Maybe we can coax our little fairy friend out?" Sneered Anagan. He slammed his foot on the ground, and a crack in the asphalt appeared as the earth began to shake and tremble.

"What's going on out here?" Terra, who'd been closest to the door opened it. She saw Bloom and her friends bracing for the quake Anagan caused. Wait... Why was the crack in the earth starting at that man's feet? That was impossible.

"Terra?" Her father stood behind her.

"Well, what do you know, boys, looks like our little fairy friend decided to show herself." Dumon growled.

"What?" Both father and daughter stared as the animals in the shop started barking, crying out or hissing at the presence of the Wizards.

"Come on girls! Let's go Enchantix!" Bloom shouted above the quake.

"Right!" The others responded.

And before Terra and Carl's eyes, the six girls were transforming in flashes of blue, pink, orange, violet, and red light. Terra's mouth was open when the girls emerged moments later as Enchantix Fairies.

"Holy crap..." Carl voiced what was on his daughter's mind.

"Mr. Didiere, get Terra out of here and hide her. Some of our friends are on their way to help keep you safe from these guys." Bloom said.

"Wait... Why don't I go with them?" Aisha suggested as a last minute thought. "That way they won't be completely unprotected."

"Good idea." Nodded Tecna.

Terra felt glad that at least one of the girls was going with them, and that it was Aisha.

"Come on." Aisha said, flying over to the two, and she led the way to safety for Terra.

"Dumon, pursue them!" Orgron shouted. "We'll deal with these little girls and catch up."

"Little girl huh?" Musa grumbled, taking to the air and directing her hands at the remaining three as Dumon transformed in to a giant black wolf.

Tecna saw the wolf chasing after Terra, Carl and Aisha and raised her right hand in their direction. As the sonic blast hit Ogron, Anagan and Gantlos, she summoned her 'world wide web' to bar the wolf from chasing after the three. For a moment, the web seemed to work, during that small time the three vanished around the street corner. But Dumon broke through the web with his massive claws.

"Hurry, this way!" Terra said when Aisha and Carl were about to head in to an open street. She heard the howl of something menacing in the distance headed towards them, and it sent a chill down her spine.

Aisha noted the frightened look on the girl's face, and the worried look on her father's face.

"We need to find somewhere safe, where we won't get any more people involved in this mess." Aisha was looking around. She didn't dare fly up higher, or risk being spotted and blow their cover.

"The underground sewers are right here." Terra pointed at the man hole.

"Absolutely not!" Carl said at once. "I won't have my little girl and her friend crawling around in the stinky, slime infested sewers!"

"Dad, it's that or being eaten alive by a ravenous wolf monster." Terra heard the call again, and this time both he and Aisha heard it.

"No time for arguing!" Aisha summoned her Morphix, which lifted the lid to the manhole, which was just large enough for a large man to climb in to.

"Ugh... We'll need to bathe for a month after this." Grumbled Carl as Terra climbed in first, stepping on to the metal step ladder.

"C'mon, Dad!" Terra was terrified as she heard the wolf getting nearer. She grabbed her father's pant leg and jerked, rather hard.

Luckily it wasn't that far to fall, but the man let out a groan as he landed on the cement floor at the bottom of the ladder.

It was dark for a moment, but soon lit up after the scraping noise of the man hole sliding back in to place with Aisha's Morphix powers helping out. The glow came from Aisha's wings and outfit when it turned pitch black for a moment.

"Ouch..." Carl was stretching when Terra jumped. "Did you have to do that Terra?"

"Hey, it was that or let you get attacked!" Snarled Terra, feeling zinged that he at least didn't realize that fact, and that she was terrified about what was going on so suddenly.

"Come on, we've gotta keep moving to avoid him."Aisha was feeling edgy, and nervous, and since she literally lit up the sewers beneath Gardenia, she led the way with Terra and Carl behind her.

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><p>Tecna had given chase of Dumon with Flora close behind them.<p>

Flora raised her hands, summoning her Luxurious Green Ivy to bar Dumon from going around the street corner where Terra, Carl and Aisha had vanished. For a moment, Dumon wasn't quite sure what to do, but with a mighty push in the wolf form, he was able to burst right through.

He saw that there was no one in this street, but he could still smell the human girl, but it was getting faint. Apparently she was moving. Transforming back in to his human appearance, Dumon looked around, and saw the only spot that the girl could have vanished so quickly, and an evil manic grin split his face at the same moment the two fairies caught up with him.

"You know, you Fairies are more of an annoyance than a challenge." He said with a cocky stretching of his shoulders that bugged Tecna more than anything.

* * *

><p>Bloom sent a blast of pure dragon energy at Ogron, who had his back turned to her as he shrugged off Musa's Sonic Boom attack. He glanced back at Bloom when the dragon fire barely grazed his back.<p>

"Barely tickles me. How long till you little girls get the hint that your pathetic powers don't work on us?" He asked, raising his right hand at Bloom and sending the same blast of Dragon energy right back at her two fold, the force of which knocked her in to the hard cement sidewalk.

"Bloom!" Shouted Stella in alarm before she too was hit by her own Sunburst attack that was thrown right back at her.

Terra sighed, tired from all the walking they were doing.

"Let's take a break." Said Aisha, seeing the two were looking worn out.

"Much appreciated." Carl nodded his thanks to the fairy.

Terra was already resting against the wall farthest from the river of sewage.

"Huh... I always thought I might die in a pit... but a pit full of sewage?" She commented.

"You're not gonna be dying anytime soon, Terra." Aisha blinked at the girl's pessimism. "The Hunters may be after you, but my friends and I are here to ensure your survival."

"You mean you and those other girls with wings?" Asked Carl. "What on Earth do you call yourselves anyways?"

"We're Fairies, and the group I'm in is specifically called the Winx Club." Aisha explained as simply as she could.

"Fairies? Really?" Blinked both Terra and her father, then they looked at each other, wide-eyed in shock.

"Yes, and you are one too, Terra. That's why those Hunters are here." Aisha was hoping that she wasn't going to be too difficult about this.

"What? No way!" Aisha exclaimed in her obvious shock at the news.

"Yes way, little fairy to be." Came a wolf-like voice from behind. "And once we drain you of your powers, before you can transform, that will have been a problem solved before it started."

"Don't you mean a preemptive strike?" Came Tecna's voice from behind him as she and Flora caught up to them.

Dumon transformed back in to his human appearance.

"More fairies?" Blinked Carl in dismay.

* * *

><p>Ogron was standing over the fallen Bloom as she was starting to stand up.<p>

"Once I finish you off, then we can go assist Dumon." He raised his hand.

"Fat chance!" A voice caught Bloom off guard and she looked over as a blast from Timmy's laser gun cut across Ogron's wrists.

"Nice shot!" Sky said as Bloom sent a dragon fire blast right at Ogron's chest.

"Need a hand?" Asked Riven as he punched Anagan away from Musa who accepted it.

"Thank you but I can take care of myself, you know." She snapped, at which Riven shrugged.

"Where are Tecna, Flora and Aisha?" Asked Nabu.

"They're after that guy Dumon, and Aisha's protecting the earth fairy." Replied Stella. She spotted someone new to their group. "Hey, I've never seen you around before."

"He's new at Red Fountain. Joined our group at the start of semester." Brandon said with a smile at Stella.

"Cain, nice to meet you." Cain said politely. He was tall, with straight, short brown hair, and hazel eyes. His skin was pale peach, while he wore the Specialists' outfit, but he had a very bored, almost spaced out look to his face and posture. Completely different to the others who were alert and ready to fight. This caught Stella by surprise, as most of the Specialists she met were eager to do their job.

"Nabu, you, Timmy and Helia take Cain with you and track down the others, we'll hold off these guys here." Sky said, pulling out his sword.

"You sure it's ok to send a newbie with them?" Asked Riven as he blocked an attack from Anagan.

"The only way the guy's gonna get experience is by being on missions, Riven." Said Sky as the four took off down the road that Bloom pointed at.

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><p>Dumon transformed in to a black bat and flew right at Layla, who was blocking his path to the girl. Layla summoned her Morphix Sphere, which wrapped around the bat to keep him from getting to Terra.<p>

"Mr. Didiere, take Terra and get out of here!" Layla said, but at that moment, Dumon transformed back in to his human form, thus breaking the Morphix sphere, before turning in to a giant black dog with massive fangs and claws.

Flora summoned a storm of flowers and turbulence to throw Dumon in to the river of sewage and muck. The resulting splash sent the muck flying everywhere, and the current was just strong enough to keep Dumon from swimming back to the walkway right away.

"Hurry, let's get moving while we've got a chance." Tecna said, and the others didn't waste time arguing.

As they rounded a corner, Flora paused a moment, turning around. She summoned a wall of thick, thorny ivy that should hold off Dumon at least for a little while. Tecna added her own fire wall for extra strength, before they moved on.

"Do you know any way out of this mess?" Asked Carl.

At which Tecna summoned her mini computer.

"There's an exit to the surface about a mile from here. If we keep up this pace, we should get there before he breaks through our defenses." Replied Tecna.

Sky, Brandon and Riven managed to beat back Ogron, Anagan and Gantlos in order to let Bloom, Stella and Musa to get to their friends.

"Be careful sweetie!" Stella said to Brandon before Bloom grabbed her by the arm.

"We've gotta hurry!" Bloom warned, and the three went off after their friends.

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><p><em>Ogron, the girl is in the underground! <em>Dumon sent the alert out to his leader as he pulled himself out of the river of sewage. With a quick spell, he was able to remove the stink and sewage itself from his body before turning back in to his wolf form and running after them.

"Did you hear that boys?" Ogron looked at the other two. "Let's hurry so we can complete our mission. It's been fun, gentlemen, but we must be going." Ogron, Anagan and Gantlos vanished in the space warp that they used to reach wherever they were going.

"This can't be good..." Said Riven.

"C'mon, let's catch up with the others." Brandon and Sky both took off in the direction that the rest of their friends had disappeared in, and Riven quickly followed as well.

* * *

><p>The group had managed to get out of the underground through a manhole that was at the park. After Tecna and Flora made sure it was safe to venture out, Aisha told Carl and Terra to go first, that way they would have someone watching their back, and once they were back in the sunlight, Flora used a simple spell to remove the smell of the sewage that was lingering on them.<p>

"There we go." She smiled sweetly, before the three fairies led Terra and her father to a safer spot near the middle of the park.

"I still don't get this... you claim you're fairies, and I'm one too? But that can't be. I'm just a girl who likes animals-"

"And who happens to be hunted by a group of men calling themselves the Fairy Hunters." Said Tecna.

"But Fairies don't exist...! They're just fictional beings in stories from ancient times." Terra looked between the three, and her father.

"And yet here we are, sweetie. Aren't you at least going to believe what you see, if not what you hear?" Asked Flora with a kind smile.

Terra looked over at Aisha.

"It's ok if it takes a little time. Sometimes these things don't happen right away... Belief in something you might never have been able to see or experience in before that is." Aisha said encouragingly.

"For now, it seems we've lost the Fairy Hunters. I think we'd better do something that won't bring so much attention to ourselves though, people are starting to stare." Tecna was looking around.

She was right, Terra saw that quite a few people were staring at the girls with their outfits and rather large wings.

* * *

><p>"There they are!" Musa pointed down at the park where she spotted Aisha, Tecna and Flora with Terra and her father.<p>

The three descended down to ground level, and transformed back in to their civilian forms as well the moment they landed.

"Is everyone ok here?" Asked Bloom.

"Yep. I think we managed to loose the Hunters for now in the underground." Nodded Aisha.

"Good." Bloom smiled kindly at Terra, who was blinking at the group.

"I think maybe right now we should lie low here." Musa was looking around. "It's not like we can go around anywhere we want with those creeps after you." She added to Terra, who stared.

"But... They shouldn't be after me... I've never done anything with magic! I'm not a magical being or whatever it is you want to call it." Terra looked from Musa to Aisha, to Bloom.

"Hello, is this denial on the line? I'd like to make a call to reality here." Stella couldn't resist, but that little comment earned a glare from Terra.

"Stella! You're not helping!" Bloom snapped in alarm.

"Hey, I'm just saying. The girl's got proof all around her that Fairies exist." Shrugged Stella, flipping her hair imperiously at them.

"Terra, I know it's gotta be hard, but please trust us." Bloom turned back to the girl. "We're only here for your benefit and safety. Without you, there would be no hope left for magic here on Earth. I was raised here in Gardenia too, I know what you must be going through. Never showing any sign of magical prowess until the situation arises-"

"But... But..." Terra stepped away from the girls and her father, who had remained silent during all of this.

"Terra, please... You don't need to-" Bloom began again, but Tecna put a hand on Bloom's shoulder.

"Bloom, she's in shock. Maybe we should try later." Suggested Tecna.

"I'm not a fairy! I'm not a fairy! You've got the wrong girl!" Terra shouted before turning and running off.

"Terra!" Aisha shouted just as the Specialists caught up with them. "I'll go after her, she's upset and with the Hunters after her she could seriously get hurt if she's on her own without any powers. Is that ok, Mr. Didiere?" She added, and the man nodded.

"Do what it takes to protect my girl." Carl said.

"Mr. Didiere?" Bloom looked curiously at the man, as Nabu said he was going to go with Aisha as well...


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Comments: **

Ok, where to start? I know it's been a while guys, and I apologize. But this isn't the only story I've been working on, and I got really sick due to catching a nasty flu bug for about a week and a half.

I just want to clear a few things up first, I won't be going in to great detail about the original six Winx Club fairies (Bloom and co.) new power upgrade (Believix). And as I mentioned before, this story is supposed to be about Terra so, as a reminder, the presence of Bloom and the other Winx Club will be limited once Terra is at Alfea.

If you're new to Winx Club, go watch the series online somewhere to get yourselves caught up. I imagine most fans by now are aware of Believix, Sophix, Lovix and Tracix. So that leaves more time for me to describe and explain Terra and her friends' transformations ^^

Another thing that I'm changing that I'm letting you guys know ahead of time is that Clarice, Alice and their friends are not in the Winx Club's old room, that belongs to a newer group of Fairies. You'll get to meet them in the next chapter.

I hope you enjoy this last chapter with Bloom and her friends' major involvement in my story!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: <strong>

**Gardenia's Other Fairy; Part Two **

Terra had ran as fast as she could, once she found out what block of Gardenia she was on. She was back at the pet shop, and looking around at all the damage done when those strange but evil men had first attacked. It looked like an earthquake had tried to bring down the whole street. She jumped over a crevice that had formed in the initial quake, landed a little oddly, then hurried to the shop where the animals were making a lot of racket and noise in alarm of what was going on.

"It's ok, guys!" She called out, "It's ok!"

Sadie came bounding over to her after poking her head from behind the check stand, whimpering in fright.

"There, there little girl." Terra knelt down to scratch Sadie behind the ears to calm her friend.

Aisha and Nabu had followed Terra to the shop, and saw the wave of sweet, calming violet magical energy flowing from Terra's hands like a mist, through the shop as the animals slowly calmed down. Terra moved to the kittens that Aisha met earlier and poked her finger through the bars in to the cage to allow the kittens to lick her fingers.

Aisha wondered if it was just her, but it seemed like the kittens were more concerned about Terra than the girl realized. She glanced over at Nabu, who nodded.

"Terra?" Aisha asked finally. "Are you ok?"

"You..." Terra withdrew her hand from the kittens in alarm and her anger flared up. "What are you doing here? Those men attacked after you and your friends came here!"

"Terra, is it?" Nabu asked with a calm nod. "We're only trying to help you. There's no reason to be scared."

Terra backed away from them. But blinked when Sadie looked up at Nabu and Aisha, before walking over and whining slightly in greeting. Aisha bent down to her knees to pet Sadie on the head lightly. Terra couldn't believe what she was seeing. Normally her dog wasn't like this with strangers. But maybe something was telling Sadie that these two at least were ok? She looked at Aisha and Nabu.

"Sadie, do you really trust them that much?" Blinked Terra, talking to the dog as though it were a human being. She still wasn't sure, but after looking around the shop, seeing how calm the animals were now, she took a step forward.

Aisha had an inkling before, but now she knew that this girl had a strong affinity with animals.

Terra was looking from Sadie to Aisha and Nabu before deciding to trust Sadie's judgement.

"Come on, let's get back to the others before we're found-" Nabu was looking around. He didn't like the fact that the Hunters were quiet for so long now.

There was the tinkling of the bell, and Sadie looked up. Thus, Aisha and Nabu turned around rather abruptly. But it was only Cain.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to stay with the others?" Asked Nabu with narrowed eyes.

"Look, Headmaster Saladin told me to look after the Earth Fairy once she's found, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to do that by being kept away from danger, am I?" Retorted Cain before he smiled at the clearly scared Earth girl who was standing behind her dog.

Terra blinked at the boy. He wasn't like Nabu, or any of the other boys who had turned up with the Winx girls. But she still wasn't sure.

"Well, we'd better get out of here as soon as we can. No doubt the Hunters are on our trail." Said Aisha, looking around nervously for a moment.

* * *

><p>Anagan, Ogron, Dumon and Gantlos appeared in the park in front of Bloom, her friends and the Specialists.<p>

"So I see the little girl isn't with you..." Frowned Ogron. "Dumon, track her. Inform us when you find her again."

Gantlos was looking at the Winx and the Specialists.

"Hey, wasn't there supposed to be more of you?" He pointed at them.

"Never mind that, they aren't important." Ogron said in a dangerous voice. "We don't need to focus on them so long as we can find Terra."

"Which won't happen!" Bloom declared. "Winx Enchantix!"

Ogron watched with a bored expression on his face.

"The same old tricks again? Really... I thought being the Winx Club you ladies would be more of a challenge." He said once they reappeared as Enchantix Fairies before them.

"This time they aren't alone though." Sky said, withdrawing his laser sword as Ogron turned his back on them.

* * *

><p>A black hawk circled above the streets, having returned to the pet shop owned by the Dediere family. He could smell her. She had returned to the spot where they first found her.<p>

* * *

><p>"We'd better get out of here... Fast. We're being tracked." Nabu had his back against the wall, peering out through a crack in the drawn drapes.<p>

Terra saw she had no choice. She didn't want to involve the other animals in this shop.

"Terra, is there another way out of here?" Aisha asked.

Terra thought. This used to be an old book store, after all. She remembered playing as a child here, when her father ran the business by himself.

"Yes, follow me." She said. Cain had remained silent, that bored look plastered on his face like being bored was part of his job or something. It was hard for her to tell if she liked him or not. She led them to the back room of the store. "Before this was a pet shop, this was a library. And during the days of the Probation, they used to smuggle alcohol and junk back here, and in to the streets without the cops knowing." She found what she was looking for.

Cain was impressed. He knew next to nothing about Earth History, but Terra seemed to know her stuff. His respect for the last Earth Fairy was growing by the minute, it seemed to him as he watched her pull a hidden latch behind a shelf full of boxes of animal food.

"I found this passage when I was playing as a child. I used it when the kids at school were teasing me. I know where it comes out... we'll be well away from them." Terra said, standing back as a door opened silently. She kept it well oiled to keep it quiet.

"Earthlings are fascinating..." Cain muttered, and Nabu couldn't help but nod in agreement with the young man.

Terra grabbed a flashlight she kept hidden, then turned it on.

"Why doesn't Aisha just transform to provide light instead?" Asked Cain on a random thought.

"Because then the Fairy Hunters would be able to find us via my magic trail... I assume that's why you didn't ask me to transform earlier, Terra?" Aisha sounded a bit annoyed at the question, the answer to which should've been obvious. But then, Cain was new to the group.

"Erm... Sure, let's go with that." Terra shrugged.

Sadie suddenly gave a loud bark that made them all jump.

"We should hurry. She smells someone inside the shop already!" Terra said as though she could understand the dog.

They all hurried in to the passage, and once crammed inside, Terra handed the flashlight to Aisha before grabbing a handle on the door, then with a mighty heave, pulled it shut. The door was heavier than it looked, and only opened without assistance on the outside.

"Thanks." Terra whispered, taking the flashlight back and talking as though they were at the sickbed of a dear friend.

* * *

><p>It was an old fashioned stand off, the Specialists and Winx Club minus Aisha, Nabu and Cain standing in front of the Fairy Hunters. But Bloom knew that the longer they kept the Fairy Hunters here, that meant the safer Terra would be from their wrath, at least until they were able to transform in to Bellievix fairies. But what would it take for Terra to believe in them?<p>

* * *

><p>Dumon walked in to the back of the store. He could swear he heard a dog barking a moment ago. But where could they have got to? Looking around, he sniffed. And followed the trail to a wall. The trail ended here... Or did it?<p>

"C'mon, we've gotta hurry!" Aisha said suddenly, and the group broke out in to a run in the hall, with Nabu bringing up the rear, and Aisha in the front with Terra, Sadie and Cain. It amazed her that they didn't see any signs of rats or other creatures in this hallway. It gave it a bit of an eerie feeling. She wondered vaguely if Terra had anything to do with it.

The hall was straight, with corners that seemed strategic, their footsteps now echoing as they reached a slope and started to climb until...

"Ouch!" Aisha hit her head on something quite abruptly.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you about the trap door." Terra apologized, reaching up and pushing the door up to let them through.

But they ran out of time.

"You're not going anywhere." Dumon's voice startled them all, echoing in the hallway as he rounded the corner. "The Earth Fairy is ours, whether you like it or not. Now hand her over."

"I don't think so..." Aisha stood in front of Terra, Nabu at her side with his staff ready for a fight. "Winx Enchantix!" She called out.

The light filled the whole hall, blinding them as she transformed.

Terra stared at the Enchantix fairy floating in the sky above them when the light receded to reveal Aisha in her Enchantix form once more. Then she blinked as Cain and Sadie stood in front of her.

"Cain, get her and Sadie out of here. It's up to you to keep her safe now." Nabu said.

"B-but... Nabu... You and Aisha?" Terra stared from one to the other, not sure what she could do to help, but she knew she didn't have any powers.

"C'mon!" Cain wasn't about to be told twice, he grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her to the ladder that had dropped down when she pushed open the trap door just a bit ago. Sadie was already climbing up it on her own without any assistance, as though climbing ladders was perfectly normal for her.

"Don't worry, we'll be alright." Aisha gave a confident smile back at Terra.

Terra swallowed, but nodded, and allowed herself to be led out of the hall.

To make sure Terra wouldn't try to get back, Aisha sent a wall of her Morphix around the entrance, at least until they had beat Dumon back.

"You know your powers are worthless against me." Snarled Dumon as he transformed into a great, spectral black dog with massive claws and fangs, and glowing red eyes. He burst through a wall of pink Morphix Blob that Aisha had put as a barrier between herself, Nabu and Dumon...

* * *

><p>Finally, Anagan made the first move. He slammed his foot on the pavement, causing the earth beneath them to tremble and shake, breaking apart all over the place and sending Mr. Dediere on to his backside until Tecna grabbed his arm, and flew him to a spot well away from the fight.<p>

"Stay away from this place, Mr. Dediere." Warned Tecna.

"No worries," Timmy said, hurrying over. "C'mon, Mr. Dediere, I've got a way to track where Terra went off to." He pulled out his mini computer pad.

Carl nodded at the young man, who seemed to know what he was doing as the earth broke apart some more and the Fairies took flight while the other Specialists charged, Riven and Sky in the lead.

* * *

><p>Terra had led Cain to an old building, only listening a few moments to the fight between Aisha, Nabu and Dumon until Cain dragged her away. She might be a fairy, but she had yet to transform. Cain looked around. This building looked like an old store house, with boxes and shelves dusty and abandoned.<p>

"We should be safe here for the time being..." He said. No one would guess that this dingy place held the last hope of the Earth Fairies and her dog. He noticed how relaxed Sadie seemed now that they were here. Apparently the dog had the same idea. It was a good thing he had a soft spot for animals, he thought. Otherwise Sadie would have no doubt, gotten on his nerves.

Terra sat down on an old, moth eaten chair with armrests. Her mind this whole time had been trying to grasp what was going on, and how it happened that SHE was the target of those fierce Fairy Hunters.

"Everything's gonna be ok, Terra." Cain said when Sadie gave a small whimper, wagging her tail a bit as though in concern. "But I have to ask you something..." He paused, she looked up at him. "Why is it you find it so hard to believe? In Faries, and us, the Specialists, I mean?" He asked.

Terra looked away. Thinking hard as she scratched the back of Sadie's left ear.

"I'm not that extraordinary... The only thing I'm good at is helping out animals. The only things I have connections with are my Dad, and my dog. The summer was turning out to be lame and boring, working at the family store. And all of my friends are gone, cross-country vacationing. Then one day a group of girls turn up trying to befriend us, and we're attacked by those Fairy Hunters. What am I supposed to think? Someone who's talentless and without a social life every summer suddenly being the center of attention of what... fifteen or so people? And they all expect me to believe that all at once?" She said finally, looking straight at him without blinking, and Cain stared back.

* * *

><p>"Hurry Mr. Dediere, they're over this way..." Timmy was saying as they were led through the streets of Gardenia thanks to his mini computer he held in his hand.<p>

Carl was looking around. What would lead his daughter to hide in the slums of Gardenia? He was believing the Fairies' story about his daughter more and more. Why else would those goons be trying to capture her?

They were about to cross a street when Carl threw out his hand and pulled Timmy back.

"Wait for the light to turn, or the traffic can run you over before we even reach the others." Advised the older man.

* * *

><p>"There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt..." Growled Dumon in his black dog form, licking his fangs. He now stood near the ladder that led to the upper streets, even though it was still barred by Aisha's pink Morphix Blob wall.<p>

"You won't be going anywhere near her!" Aisha said loudly, her voice echoing oddly in the old hallway. She raised her hands, and what looked like several orbs of Morphix appeared around Dumon as he transformed back in to his human form, then began to form in to at least six hoops which wrapped around him instantly when she clenched her hands in to fists.

Far from looking afraid about being trapped, he grinned in a cocky manner that nearly caused Aisha to loose her temper at him when he transformed in to a small black bat, thus freeing himself from the Morphix trap. Nabu had to react quickly in order to knock the bat to the floor with a blast from his staff as it started to make for the door. Several times the bat started to take flight, but each time like a bolt of lightning the bat was struck before falling back down as the human shape of Dumon. Dumon was in mild shock at this. How was it that he could over power this Fairy from Andros, when this wizard could knock him down so easily? Was he getting weaker? Was someone from Earth starting to believe in Faries more? He wasn't about to take the chance...

Transforming in to a massive black tiger, he launched himself at Nabu with a roar that rang in the eardrums of his foes.

"Nabu!" Aisha's voice rang in the hall. While Nabu, who couldn't dodge very well in the cramped space braced himself.

* * *

><p>Bloom had been sent flying to the ground, skidding to a halt just before she slammed in to a tree, while Stella used her Enchantix Sea of Light against Anagan and Gantlos, but to little effect. Ogron raised his right hand, and absorbed the sunlight that had meant to do them harm before shooting it back at the Faries two fold.<p>

Stella let out a yell as she went flying backwards in to a nearby tree.

"Luxurious ivy!" Flora called out, and massive roots and waves of branches all rose from the ground or reached out from the trees in the park around Anagan like a cocoon. Then what looked like a glowing green net wrapped around it to act as reinforcement. Only to have both the cocoon and the Firewall slashed to pieces in an instant from within.

Sky came running at Ogron, who looked at him as though he were an annoying fly. Until Sky managed to strike him with his laser sword. Then again while Ogron was distracted by minor surprise.

So, they were able to attack with their weapons while the girls' magic wasn't having much effect on the Fairy Hunters? Sky's brows furrowed as Brandon stood beside him. He glanced at Brandon, who nodded, understanding what was on the young King's mind.

"Riven, Helia!" Sky said.

"Way ahead of you, bro." Riven replied as they surrounded the three Fairy Hunters.

"Be careful, my love!" Came Stella's voice as Flora and Musa helped pull her out of the tree.

"No worries!" Brandon replied, running at Ogron first, while Riven decided to take on Anagan, jumping around to dodge the cracks in the ground that formed when Anagan stamped his feet down in his direction.

"Show off..." Mumbled Musa when Riven reached Anagan finally.

Helia didn't mess around with finding away to attack Gantlos, instead, he sent his threads right at the man the moment Riven and Brandon moved. Sky took advantage of this, and changed his target while Brandon kept Ogron busy.

Together, the combination of attacks seemed to at least weaken the Fairy Hunters. It was with some satisfaction that the annoyingly cocky Ogron was knocked back several paces to join his comrades.

"What's the matter, Fairy Hunters? Didn't you expect to come across people who could fight without magic?" Asked Riven.

There came no response as the Specialists took a few steps closer to the Fairy Hunters.

"We've wasted enough time here. Dumon should have tracked the Earth Fairy by now." Ogron snarled at Anagan and Gantlos.

Timmy and Carl heard the noise from down below, and Carl opened the secret passage. He knewthat Terra thought only she was aware of it, but it was actually well known to his family in general, as the unspoken fun family secret that could only be found out on your own.

* * *

><p>They were only met by a wall of pink Morphix Blob.<p>

"Aisha must've done that to keep Terra and Cain from going back to try and help." Timmy said when they saw through the barrier, a massive black tiger being thrown against the wall they were standing above with such force that it shook the ground they stood on.

Aisha could hear Timmy's voice, then the voice of Terra's father.

"Timmy, Mr. Dediere, is that you?" She called just to make sure as Dumon glared at both her and Nabu, his face impassive.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got work to do." He said when Ogron's voice came in to his mind, telling him to quit playing around.

* * *

><p>"I don't get why you have to be so stubborn... you've seen the Winx girls transform TWICE now... Why is it so hard to believe in Fairies, let alone magic?" Cain asked. "If you ask me, what you've got going on is a talent in and of itself. Not many people have that connection and obvious affection to animals that you have. Did you ever think once that it could lead to something more?"<p>

To give herself thinking time, Terra looked down at her dog, who seemed content just to have her ears scratched forever. Then, before she could really answer him, they heard a door being thrown open with a bang. Sadie was startled in to barking in alarm rather loudly, and Cain withdrew what appeared to be a simple, four inch long rod, but it turned into a laser bow and arrow rather than his sword, directing the bow in the direction of the noises approaching them.

But it wasn't Dumon, or any of the Fairy Hunters.

"Daddy!" Terra ran over to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Terra..." Carl hugged his daughter as though he'd been rather petrified at what might happen if she'd been caught.

"I think you can put that away now, Cain..." Timmy was smiling at the young cadet, who lowered his bow, almost looking disappointed.

"Aisha, Nabu... Thank God..." Terra said in relief when she saw her two new friends were ok as well as her father.

"It'll take more than that to kill us off." Aisha smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the others. Dumon retreated, so I think that means the others must have too."

"Right." Cain had not fully put away his laser bow and arrow, instead, he kept it out as an extra precaution, until he was certain that there was no real threat of danger, even as Sadie scampered around them all, clearly thrilled at the familiar faces.

* * *

><p>"You think they're gone for good finally?" Asked Stella when the Winx girls joined the Specialists.<p>

"Nah, probably just regrouping." Replied Riven, looking around.

"Speaking of which, we should look for the others to make sure they, Terra and her father are ok." Helia stated.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Musa was already pointing at a small group of people hurrying over to rejoin them.

It hadn't taken quite so long to find their way this time, now that Aisha, Timmy and Nabu were all a little more familiar with the streets of Gardenia.

"You managed to keep her safe!" Said Bloom in obvious relief that Terra remained unhurt, but the Earth girl was looking rather confused about something, or had a lot on her mind... or both.

"I'm glad you guys are ok." Tecna was smiling, also in relief. "Those Fairy Hunters just seem to be getting more and more powerful..."

"At least from your point of view." Nabu said.

"Why do you say that?" Aisha asked him.

"Well.. myself and the Specialists were able to beat them back, when whenever you guys threw whatever magic spells you have at them, they only sent it right back at you like some sort of boomerang." Nabu explained.

"I think Nabu's got a point..." Sky said slowly, thinking about it. He didn't voice the fact that maybe because Terra and Carl were starting to believe in the Fairies that the Fairy Hunters' powers were starting to wane, he felt that would've been a given fact already from what Ms. Faragonda had said before the start of the mission.

It was Musa who actually said it though.

"Remember what Ms. Faragonda said before we came here? That 'in this world, belief is your greatest source of power?'." Musa looked at the girls, then over at Terra and Carl, who blinked. "I think this world's magic is somehow different than any we have ever seen..."

Terra blinked at Musa. She remembered those words from somewhere, they seemed to have some sort of resonance with her. But she knew she'd never heard that sentence before. So why would she even be familiar with it? Belief is your greatest source of power? What on earth did that mean? First the Fairy Hunters attack, destroying half the city it felt like, then she has that talk with Cain, and now Musa is talking about this stuff... It was all too much...

Terra felt darkness overcoming her as she fell from the sense of being so overwhelmed. She heard someone shouting her name, but couldn't tell who it was. She faintly heard Sadie barking in alarm. She vaguely thought that it was odd Sadie would bark like that, then... Nothing...

_Terra__ was__ dreaming, __and__ it__ was __a__ very__ strange __dream__ at __that.__ She__ was __standing __alone,__ surrounded __by__ black __fog,__ and__ someone__ was __calling __out __to__ her.__ It __sounded__ like__ the__ voice __was __just __beyond__ the __fog,__ but __Terra__ couldn't __get __past__ it, __no__ matter __how __hard __she__ tried._

_ "Terra..." _

_ "Who...?" She spun around on the spot, but didn't see anyone. _

_ "Terra..." _

_ "Who are you?" _

_ "You must believe, Terra... You must believe in Fairies... Your friends, and I... we only wish for your safety and well being." _

_ "But there's no such thing as Fairies! They're just in kids books, that's all." Terra looked around. _

_ "Yes, Fairies are real, Terra... Please, if you don't believe, then we will vanish from the Earth forever. Please... look inside yourself, and believe... Believe, Terra." The female voice was practically begging her. _

_ "Who are you?" She asked again. _

_ "Believe, Terra... and a whole new world of magic and wonder will open itself to you... You are our only hope. Please... Believe... Believe..." _

_ "Wait! Don't go-!" _

"Poor dear... She must be having a bad dream."

"So much all at once, what did you expect to happen?"

"Look, she's coming around!"

Terra was lying on the couch in the apartment she and her father lived in, with her favorite Afghan blanket wrapped around her. She felt her head throbbing, and opened her eyes with great difficulty. It took a moment for everyone to come in to focus, then she remembered what had happened that day.

Their apartment was on the top of a three story apartment building in Gardenia, overlooking the ocean and part of the city. It was a three bedroom apartment, with a large kitchen and island table in the middle of the kitchen, and the living room had a couch, two recliners, a flat-screen television on the wall opposite of the couch and chairs. Two bookcases on either side balanced out the look, and a photo of the map of Middle Earth from Emperor of the Rings above the couch helped give the place a flow to the furniture. The extra room was not only used as Carl's study, but Terra loved spending time in the extra room to read, or play the piano- Carl had bought the upright nineteen twenties piano when she was eight years old and started showing signs of a musical talent in elementary. There was a bathroom in the hallway for guests, and two baths in the main bedroom.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Asked Flora, who was closest to her.

"Like I've been hit by a ten ton semi." Replied Terra as she sat up.

"Here, this should help you." Flora handed her a tea cup. "It's one of my herbal remedies."

"Thank you, Flora." She took a sip, and was looking around. Aisha hurried over once she had woken up. "Why are you all staring at me like that? Was I snoring or something?"

"No, not exactly." Musa replied as Stella giggled like mad.

"You were talking in your sleep." Aisha shot a glare at Stella as she sat down on the couch next to Terra, her being Terra's closest friend out of the group, she thought it would be safest if she spoke to her first.

"I kept on hearing a woman's voice... I know I've heard it from somewhere before, I just can't remember where... and she was begging me to believe in Fairies." Terra shook her head as though she didn't know what to do anymore.

"This woman... did you see or hear anything else?" Carl asked.

"No, daddy, I didn't. It was completely black... and all I could hear was her voice." She answered, a little curtly and annoyed sounding this time. "How long was I out?"

"Quite a few hours," Bloom replied, walking in to the living room with Terra's dog right behind her. "Sky and the others have the apartment pretty well guarded. We just need to figure out what to do next."

Terra finished the tea Flora had given her in a few large gulps.

"We need to do what we can to keep you from falling in to those Fairy Hunter's hands, for one." Aisha nodded as Flora took the now empty cup.

"So what else is left?" Carl was leaning forward, against the back of the couch. "Gotta find a way to keep an eye on my little girl."

"I'm not a kid, anymore dad." Terra said, glaring at him.

"True, but you are the last fairy known on Earth." Musa grinned.

"Maybe it would be prudent to ask if she'd like to join us at Love and Pet during the day?" Tecna had been typing on her mini computer the whole time they'd been talking. "That way it would be easier for her to get accustomed to magic, and it might help her get to know us better."

"Would Sadie be allowed to come too?" It was the first thing on her mind.

"Of course." Bloom bent down to scratch behind Sadie's ears. "The more the merrier."

"What do you say? Would it be ok, Mr. Dediere, if she worked with us until we know the danger has passed?" Aisha looked back at Terra's father.

There was a moment of silence that passed between Terra and her father, during which Terra gave Carl the puppy-dog begging eyes.

"All right. I don't see what it could hurt. You young ladies have proven yourselves at any rate, that you have her best interests at heart." He shrugged finally.

"Then I'll be here first thing tomorrow with Nabu and Cain to pick you up. Does that sound good?" Aisha said lightly, and Terra nodded as Sadie barked in excitement.

"Speaking of Love and Pet... we should be getting back to check on our little angels." Said Bloom suddenly.

"But what about keeping a guard up that you were talking about?" Carl asked as the girls suddenly realized how long they'd been away from their shop.

"Don't worry, Sky and the others will be keeping vigil overnight and let us know if anything happens." Bloom smiled, and after a quick goodbye, the girls had dashed out of the apartment, leaving the father, his daughter, and her dog standing in a dumbfounded sort of way, staring after them.

When Bloom unlocked the door to the Love and Pet shop, the first thing they saw was their magical pets throwing a party, and soap and foam from the baths everywhere. Then Stella came running past them, screaming at the top of her lungs at Kiko and the rest of the pets over the mess they had caused while they were away.

"It's a good thing Terra's not coming until tomorrow..." Tecna commented in regards to the mess.

"All this work means we won't be done until midnight, and then we open the store at seven?" Stella complained. "That just cuts right in to my beauty sleep... poor Brandon won't recognize me with all the bags under my eyes!"

"Well, it won't take so long to clean up if we start right away, you know?" Musa strolled in as her own little pet flew up to her, still covered in bubble bath soap foam.

It took them roughly four hours to clean up, but just when Stella collapsed on to her bed, a beeping from Tecna's computer caught their attention.

"It's Ms. Faragonda!" Tecna said, and Stella got up again with a groan, her hair looking frizzy in random spots from all the work.

"Hello, girls." The elderly headmistress said with a smile as they all gathered around Tecna and her computer.

"Hi Ms. F." Bloom waved.

"How are things going on Earth? Have you found our Fairy?" Ms. Faragonda asked.

"Well..." The girls looked at each other.

"We did," Bloom nodded. "But it's proving difficult to win her trust, and get her to believe in us. I think we've convinced her father, though."

"That's a good start, Bloom. But you need to find a way to convince her that Fairies are real, and you must do that as soon as possible, because the fate of the world of Fairies on Earth will be in jeopardy." Faragonda warned. "Do not give up on the girl. There must be something you haven't thought of that will convince her."

Bloom blinked, and she and her friends all stared at each other. She knew that they were all thinking the same thing... How on earth were they going to get Terra to believe in them?

"I remember for me it took being attacked by that Ogre, and Stella showing me Alfea... But maybe it's gonna take a lot more than that with Terra?" Said Bloom thoughtfully.

"That may very well be the case. You were more ready to accept that you were a fairy when you met Stella, and Terra has never noticed anything remotely magical around her. Take your time, get to know her instead of trying to force her to believe." Ms. Faragonda said slowly.

"Terra seems to be a very practical girl... so having her world turned upside down is bound to have some kind of effect on her..." Musa voice what had been on her mind for some time now. "I know it's not always easy believing in things that most people never see."

"There has to be a way for you young ladies to gain her confidence and trust..." Ms. Faragonda said.

* * *

><p>Terra was in a dead sleep when her alarm went off early the next morning. Her hair stuck up at odd ends, and her face was pale and saggy looking as she yawned and stretched. Being an apartment building, her walls were plain white while the carpet was a light shade of espresso brown. But that didn't mean she hadn't done something to decorate, and spruce up her bedroom and making it obvious who's bedroom this was. There were posters of her favorite singers, movie stars, musicians, and favorite manga characters- which included Sailor Callisto from a fan series called Sailor Moon Eternal. There were no fairies, however.<p>

In her window there were a bunch of stained glass images of butterflies, humming birds and flowers for some added privacy. Purple and magenta Lace curtains were hung around the window, while her dresser on the wall opposite her bed had an arched mirror lined in gold with matching gold handles. There were two handsome bookcases on either side filled with everything from her favorite books, to movie sets. A desk sat on the wall with the window with her computer, iHome sterio which was currently playing a morning song that she selected while she got dressed and brushed her hair, and a television was mounted on the wall in the spot between the dresser and bookcases- which was approximately four feet. While she didn't have cable television in her room- her father thought she was still just too young for her own cable tv- she did like to watch movies and her favorite tv series while doing homework or her hobbies, which included drawing, reading and writing short stories on her computer.

One of the leading genres in her bookcases was a series of talking animal tales, and one of her favorite stories from her childhood about a veternarian in England who tended to many farmland creatures. lower on the bookcases were her DVDs and other books which included Manga and Doujinshi titles that she was fond of.

"Terra, are you up yet? What do you want for breakfast?" Came her father's voice from the hallway.

"I'm up, daddy!" She called back through the door as she brushed her hair, glad it was short because that meant little maintenance. "I'd just like some of the Count Chocula cereal today if you don't mind something simple?"

"Sounds good, hon. Remember to make your bed." Carl reminded his daughter, who grumbled in response. She hated making her bed.

Today Terra dressed in a lavender t-shirt with a v-neck line, the sleeves were dark violet while the trim of the shirt was in lilac. Her jeans were dark denim, and cut off just above the ankles. She wore matching dark purple and lavender stripped socks and decided to put her black and magenta streaked hair back in a purple knot at the nape of her neck since she would be working with a bunch of animals that day. Some of her hair in the front was so short that it wouldn't fit in the knot so she just let it hang loose in a few random strands. After putting her bed back together, she opened the door and went down the short hallway.

She was surprised to see that Aisha, Nabu and Cain were already waiting in the living room for her.

"Good morning, sunshine." Her father said, and she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not as she tried and failed to stifle a huge yawn, sitting at the dining room table where her box of Count Chocula puffed chocolate cereal and a white blue trimmed bowl waited for her. She poured herself a bowl, then milk in to it and wolfed down her breakfast, before putting the dishes in the dishwasher, rushing back to her bathroom, brushing her teeth and making sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Good luck, call me if you need anything." Carl hugged his daughter as she grabbed her purse- a dark purple number with long purple straps.

"Ready?" Aisha smiled.

"Yep." Nodded Terra, looking also at Nabu and Cain.

Cain was mildly surprised that she had bounced back in to her own self so quickly after the shock from yesterday when they and Sadie said goodbye to Carl who didn't have to work until nine that morning.

So Terra allowed herself to be led through the city, to Love and Pet, where the other members of Aisha's group were waiting for them.

"Don't worry bout a thing, we'll be keeping watch over the place and Timmy's got a scanner to make sure those Fairy Hunters won't catch us by surprise again." Sky said when they reached the Love and Pet shop.

"Wow, this place is huge compared to daddy's store." Terra looked up, craning her neck so much that she nearly stumbled backwards.

"Still just as busy though." Stella complained, chasing down her own pet to give it a morning bath.

Terra had to do a double take when she saw the pets were... flying? She blinked again. The little poodle from the day before came flying up to her when she entered the store.

"Ah-hah!" Stella said as the poodle hid behind Terra. "Gotcha now, you little troublemaker." Stella then collided with Terra, not having realized before it was too late that it was Terra that Ginger had hidden behind, and the two girls fell in a heap to the floor as Ginger fluttered out of their reach, giggling like mad at the sight of the two Fairies. Until Tecna caught the poodle from behind.

"Sorry Terra, I didn't know you'd be dropping in so soon." Stella apologized.

"Neither did I..." Said Terra from her slightly crushed spot on the floor.

"Here you go, Stella." Said Tecna with a smile as Bloom helped her and Terra up from the floor.

"Come on, Ginger, time for your morning bath." Stella thanked Tecna, grabbing the magical poodle and taking her over to the tub.

Terra brushed herself off and looked around, feeling slightly out of place. The whole building seemed to be bursting with magic.

"I know... since it's your first day, why don't you help Bloom greet the customers and arrange appointments?" Aisha suggested as a way to help Terra get to know Bloom better. "With Sadie's good disposition, she'll be the perfect attention grabber for passerby."

"Sounds great, Aisha." Smiled Terra.

"Don't worry about a thing, if you need help, just ask. And I'll show you around." Bloom led Terra and Sadie to her desk as Kiko hopped over, checking Sadie out.

"What a cute little rabbit." Terra smiled.

"That's Kiko, he's been my friend since I was a kid." Bloom explained as she was typing on the computers behind the welcoming desk.

Sadie blinked at the rabbit as it approached, then grumbled when Kiko got a little too close. Kiko let out a small squeak, and jumped behind Bloom, shaking his fist at the dog.

"Sadie, no need to be worried about these guys." Terra giggled at the sight. "I think she's jealous that I might replace her with one of these pets." She added to Bloom, who was reassuring Kiko that Sadie was just nervous and new to this whole place.

* * *

><p>As seven A.M. approached, the pets were all preparing for their own roles as being living advertisements for the Love and Pet store, and Sadie stuck by the desk that Bloom and Terra were at, as though she were a guard of honor of sorts while Bloom was giving Terra a run down of how to use the computers, since it was a completely different system used in this larger store compared to the small family business run by her father. When the doors were opened to customers at last, Terra saw a long line full of people she recognized from school, and across town with connections to her father. She began to think of how the two businesses could benefit from each other after all.<p>

"Hey Bloom, I see you've got a new employee." Said a regular customer. "Wait a sec... Terra from that smaller store?"

"Yeah, it's me Ron." Smiled Terra. "There's a partnership between Love and Pet, and my daddy's shop now."

Bloom was glad that Terra was quick to learn, and with an extra helping hand, the two of them were able to see more customers than before.

"Say Bloom, Terra asked during a break that morning. "Where did you... you know, go to learn how to be a fairy and all that?"

"Alfea School for Fairies, of course." Smiled Bloom. "You've got an invite from the Headmistress, Ms. Faragonda too when you're ready to accept it. It's a great place, filled with Fairies and magic, and the teachers are great too."

"Really?" Terra had never heard of a school for Fairies before. It peaked her interest, having just spent the whole of her morning around Fairies and magic.

"A school of which you'll never be going to." A voice said when Sadie started grumbling at a costomer with brown hair and eyes, who just walked through the door.

"Sadie!" Terra said in alarm. Sadie hadn't acted like this all morning. She tried grabbing hold of Sadie's collar, but the golden retriever was too quick and lunged at the man, who dodged as he returned to his normal appearance.

"Dumon!" Shouted Aisha from her spot in alarm.

Sadie had skidded to a halt on the pavement, spinning around, with her teeth bared and a low growl that seemed most unlike her emmiting from deep in her throat.

"You'll be coming with us, little girl." Said Anagan from outside the shop, slamming his foot down on the ground. The resulting earthquake knocked Sadie off her paws.

"Sadie!" Terra shouted again, running to her dog.

"Terra, no! It's too dangerous!" Bloom shouted.

But it was too late, in her attempt to reach her beloved dog, Dumon grabbed hold of Terra's arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Finally!" Dumon hissed as Ogron, Anagan and Gantlos approached.

"We got what we came for, let's go." Ogron said.

"Not so fast! Come on girls, let's go Enchantix!" Bloom said.

"We don't have time for this." Frowned Gantlos, as the six fairies transformed. And during that moment, he, Anagan, Gantlos and Dumon- who had Terra's arms behind her to keep her from getting away vanished in to their port hole.

"Their gone!" Musa said with disdain, flying over to Sadie, who whimpered slightly as she got up to her feet.

The dog wasn't injured, but felt at a loss with her inability to protect her owner.

"Not for long," Said Tecna, already typing on her mini computer. "We'll find out where they took her."

* * *

><p>"Let me go!" Terra was shouting at the four men, who had reappeared on the other end of town at a quiet portion of the park.<p>

"Let's hurry and get this over with. So long, last Fairy of Earth. Once you are gone, our task will be complete. And the Earth will be rid of all magic once and for all." Said Ogron as he, Anagan, and Gantlos stood around her in a circle before Dumon let go of her, tossing her to the ground rather roughly. He joined his partners in the circle as they touched their hands together.

"But I'm not a fairy! I don't have any magic powers!" Terra said in protest.

"Of course you do, child." Ogron's smile was not warm and welcoming by any means, and it sent a chill down her spine as the wind began to pick up around her, while a red violet aura appeared in the form of a dome around them. "They have just been lying dormant within you until now is all."

"I'm not a fairy, I'm not!" Terra put her hands to her ears as the sound of roaring wind began to give her a headache. She was all alone in facing them, and she didn't know the state of her dog either. How could this be happening when she'd supposedly been with the Winx to keep these men from finding her again so soon.

"Looks like the circle is finally reacting!" Said Anagan.

"Good... just a few more moments, and she'll be dealt with." Nodded Ogron.

"Not on our watch!" Came Aisha's voice as she and her friends surrounded the group.

"Aisha, Bloom!" Terra shouted, looking up. She couldn't move, her legs and arms were beginning to feel like lead, and her headache was making her feel like her head was about to split in two.

"Hold on!" Bloom shouted, and instead of attacking the Fairy Hunters, she flew straight in to the middle of the circle, grabbing Terra's arms, putting one around her shoulders and lifting her up. This forced the Hunters to break their circle, as Bloom flew up in to the air seconds later.

"Bloom, are you mad?" Asked Stella in fear and worry for her best friend as she landed a ways away from them, setting a considerably weaker Terra on a park bench.

"Don't worry, Terra." Bloom reassured the girl. "Everything's gonna be all right."

"Bloom...You saved me?" Terra blinked, feeling like she was on the bad end of a flu bug at the moment as she recovered from what just happened.

"Of course, that's what friends do for each other." Stella answered for Bloom, landing beside her best friend.

"I don't know how you found us so quickly, but I assure you it will not happen again, Bloom, Princess of Domino." Ogron directed the palm of his hand at Bloom, who barred his way to get to Terra. Stella stood beside her best friend, while the others surrounded him, Anagan, Gantlos and Dumon.

Bloom and Stella braced for impact as the blast of fire shot from his hands at them.

Stella summoned her shield of light, but it had little effect on the fireball. Instead, she and Bloom went flying backwards well over the bench and in to the grass on the other side.

"Ouchie!" Stella exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head as Terra ran over to the two of them.

"Stella, Bloom!" She cried out, kneeling next to them. She still didn't believe that she could have any magic powers. But how would they be able to win against these guys if she didn't believe in Fairies?

"Save your tears, little one." Ogron grumbled, appearing in front of her once more as Aisha pushed Terra out of the way.

"Aisha!" Terra said in alarm.

What about Sadie? She knew her friends were ok... But what did those guys do to her dog? She stared at Bloom and Stella fighting Ogron.

Ogron had Bloom cornered nearby.

"If you would stay out of our way, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Dumon was saying to Stella and Musa.

Ogron sent another blast of fire at Bloom, sending her flying backwards in to the tree she'd been backed in to in the first place.

"Bloom!" Sky shouted, having just arrived on the scene with the other members of the Specialists and Nabu.

It was tense, as Ogron had the palm of his hand directed at Bloom, who was closest to him. Terra didn't know what to do, but she knew she had to help. It was then a split second decision that would count near or at crazy. She tore from Aisha's side the moment Ogron fired, then shoved Bloom out of the way.

"Terra!" Bloom and Aisha shouted as Terra screamed when she was hit, falling to the ground.

"No!" It wasn't the Winx girls who cried that, but Ogron, who had wanted to deal with Terra in the Circle, not like this.

"Terra..." Bloom knelt down as Cain ran over, turned Terra on to her back, and lifted her up a little bit in to a sitting position. Terra looked pale and weak compared to just a moment ago. "Why did you do it?"

Terra opened her eyes rather weakly.

"That's what friends do... right Bloom?" She said, then her eyesight began to go fuzzy and she could feel herself slipping. "Bloom... I believe... I believe you now." She managed to get out before she passed out.

It happened in that moment. The skies above them turned a dark, strange purple aura. And six flashes of light engulfed the Winx Club Fairies.

"What?" Anagan shouted as the orbs of light were lifted in to the air.

"Winx Bellievix!" Six female voice called out.

Ogron frowned as the Winx Fairies reappeared in their new, more powerful state. Larger wings, different hairstyles for some, and stronger powers.

"Wow... this is great!" Stella and Musa looked at each other moments after transforming.

Bloom landed next to Cain and the unconscious Terra.

"She was stubborn about it... but you finally somehow won her over." Cain nodded. "And all it took was you nearly getting killed." He said with a slight smirk as Sky hurried over.

"So the Fairies get a new outfit. But that doesn't make you any stronger." Ogron growled at them.

"We'll see about that!" Musa said as Flora flew over to her. Musa summoned her magical boom boxes. "Cover your ears, guys!" She told her friends as the noise started blaring, so loud now that it caused the ground to tremble and the trees to shake. And this time, Flora joined in with her Autumn Wind attack, the combination of which literally blasted Ogron back from Cain and Terra.

"Ogron!" Anagan and Gantlos shouted in alarm.

"Stay back! I will deal with them myself!" Ordered the Fairy Hunters' leader.

"Not this time, buddy." Bloom said in her anger about Terra being caught in the crossfire. What appeared to be a giant, glowing red-orange dragon appeared around her as Ogron turned to face her instead. She then sent the dragon at Ogron and each of his team members in turn. The feeling of this new power was incredible, and she was starting to understand what Ms. Faragonda said about belief being the greatest source of power on Earth as her Fire Dragon sent the Fairy Hunters running once more.

"Wow, this new power is great." Musa said, flying over to Bloom once the Fairy Hunters had vanished.

"We're so much more stronger than before." Tecna nodded, though regretting not being able to try out her new powers just yet thanks to Bloom loosing her temper on the Fairy Hunters again.

"Terra? Terra?" Aisha had rushed over to her friend, who was still quite unconscious in Cain's arms, even with the fighting going on. She was worried when she wasn't getting any response from her young friend as Bloom and the others surrounded them in a protective circle.

Terra could hear someone calling out to her, and saw something blue and glittering when her eyes slowly opened. A butterfly? She reached out, when a hand caught hers.

"Easy," Aisha said with a relieved smile as Terra reached out.

"Aisha?" Terra looked rather disoriented for a moment, seeing the Fairies in new outfits threw her completely for a loop for a few moments. "What?" She blinked.

"When you realized your belief in us, in Fairies, we gained a new power and were able to beat those Fairy Hunters back." Bloom said, walking over and kneeling down to be eye level. "What you did, Terra, was incredibly brave. But until you transform in to your own Fairy, please think only of your own safety."  
>"But Bloom-" Terra began to protest, and Bloom smiled.<p>

"Bloom's right. As the last hope of the Fairies on Earth, you can't go sacrificing yourself like that every chance you get." Stella agreed with Bloom. "It's ok to be selfish and not jump in the way all the time."

Terra felt her face going red at being disciplined for saving Bloom's life.

"What happened to my dog? Is she ok?" Terra suddenly remembered part of what had gotten her so mad at the Fairy Hunters earlier.

As though in answer to her question, there was a loud barking as Nabu approached, and Sadie the golden retriever bounded excitedly over to Terra, who stared before breaking from the group of Fairies, and Cain to throw her arms around her dog.

They returned to their civilian forms, and were now at Terra's apartment with her father, discussing her future in magical education.

* * *

><p>"So you see, Alfea would be the safest place for Terra at the moment. It didn't take the Fairy Hunters long to figure out where she was at, but at least at Alfea, there would be more Fairies than they could count." Bloom was saying to Carl and Terra. "She'll be able to learn how to use her magic, and learn how to transform properly there too."<p>

"Really?" Blinked Terra.

"It's where we all learned how to use our magic, and Bloom learned how to transform at Alfea college too." Nodded Aisha, even though she hadn't been there at the time, she was aware of the story around Bloom thanks to Stella.

Terra looked at her father, a pleading, begging look in her blue eyes as she silently begged her father to let her go.

"Well... I would like to get a look at Alfea first. When can we go see it?" He said after a long moment of silence, during which he weighed his options. He wanted to see if this was a real place, to begin with. Then if it was, how it could keep his daughter safe from those cruel Fairy Hunters.

"Whenever you're ready." Stella spoke up. "I can transport all of us there in a jiffy, no sweat." Stella pulled out her handy trans-dimensional transportation card, the very one she used to show Bloom and her family Alfea for the first time.

"Should I pack in case you decide yes, Daddy?" Terra wasn't sure what she would need to bring with her if it was determined that she could stay at Alfea.

"Don't worry, all that's needed is a simple packing spell, and then your whole room can be sent over." Aisha smiled.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? I wanna see this school for Fairies." Carl nodded, standing up and walking over to the coat hanger and grabbing his traveling jacket.

Stella tossed the trans-dimensional transportation card on to the floor, and it expanded in to what looked like a window large enough for seven people to comfortably jump in to, and jump in they did once they had what they would need.

"What about the Specialists?" Asked Terra as she grabbed Sadie's leash just in case it was needed.

"Don't worry about them, they'll be here to throw the Hunters off your trail." Smiled Bloom. "Ready? Then grab my hand and lets go." She held out her hand, feeling grateful that they didn't have to waste time flying in a massive ship away from Earth this way.

Terra hesitated for a moment, then took Bloom's hand, while her father was guided by Tecna. Sadie stood next to Aisha, whom she seemed to trust most out of Bloom's group, and they all jumped in to the portal.

It was like a swirling sky of color, purples, pinks, blues and greens were all around them, and Terra could hear her father gasp in amazement at they were falling forward. She gripped Bloom's hand rather tightly to keep herself from falling in to some other weird dimension. And then, quite suddenly, they landed on grass in the middle of a luscious pine forest, where strange creatures and birds with much more than two wings flying over head.

Carl stumbled upon landing, and fell backwards on to his back end. Sadie looked rather winded, and Terra's hair had come out of its knot at the back of her head and had a rather fly-a-way look to it now.

"Wow!" Carl said when he saw the rather large school in the valley below. "It really does exist!"

Bloom recognized this spot at once as the spot where Stella had shown her and her parents Alfea for the first time. She glanced over at Stella who was positively grinning from ear to ear.

Terra went over to the edge of the cliff they were on, with Sadie close by her side and wagging her tail.

Carl tried to follow his daughter, but was stopped by the invisible magical barrier that kept all non magical beings out of Alfea.

"Daddy?" Terra glanced back when she realized he wasn't beside her.

"Looks like there's something stopping me from getting through." He said, pressing hard against the wall, but to no avail.

"That would be the barrier that keeps non magicals out of Alfea." Replied Bloom.

There was a silence when Terra realized what this meant. Terra ran over to her father and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Daddy..." She said slowly. "Can I stay? Please?"

"Well..." He looked at the other girls.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dediere, she's in good hands with Ms. Faragonda and Ms. Griselda. They taught us all we know." Bloom read Carl's expression rather accurately.

"Please Daddy?" Terra looked up at him again.

"Alright." He sighed finally. "But I do have some misgivings about you going to school in another dimension and all."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Dediere. Everyone starts at the beginning here, and this is the best and only school for Fairies." Aisha said.

For Terra, this was the seal for the deal, she trusted Aisha and Bloom above the others.

Carl nodded, and Terra's face split in to a wide smile, the first one in a couple of days.

"Yay! Thank you so much daddy!" She jumped up and down on the spot, completely thrilled.

"But what do I tell your friends when they get back?" He said suddenly.

"Tell them that she got accepted to a foreign boarding school, that's close to the truth at any rate." Tecna said in a matter-of-fact sort of way. "Most likely the school would be over in England or France."

"Oh! England!" Terra said, since she always wanted to visit the castles in England, that seemed to be the best choice.

"Well, if we're ready to go down under, I'll send you back Mr. Dediere?" Stella suggested.

"All right. Stay safe, do your best, have fun, and study hard." Carl smiled at his daughter. "Love you, sweetheart." He said.

"Love you too, daddy." She pecked him on the cheek before standing back with Sadie, as Stella sent him back in a flash of bright light.

"Well, shall we go meet the Headmistress?" Bloom asked, and she nodded, suddenly feeling rather nervous and apprehensive as she looked down at the college.

"Don't worry, it's not as intimidating as it looks." Musa encouraged her.

"Yeah, at least it's not as ugly as Cloud Tower." Stella shuddered at the thought of their rival school.

"Cloud Tower?" Blinked Terra as she was led through the forest to the school.

"It's this school for witches, very nasty place full of dungeons and ugly creatures." Stella explained.

"Ew..." Terra shuddered, much preferring the bright, cheerful atmosphere of Alfea school for fairies.

"Exactly." Stella nodded, glad to be chatting with the Earth girl on good terms finally.

They went through the beautiful lavender gateway that resembled wings, and she looked around, nearly stepping on one of Sadie's paws in the process because she was so distracted.

"Welcome back, girls." Ms. Faragonda had seen them from her main office, and guessed that they had somehow managed to win Terra's trust, so she went with Ms. Griselda close behind her to meet them on the grounds.

"Hi, Ms. Faragonda, Ms. Griselda. This is-" Bloom began to introduce Terra.

"Terra Dediere... the last Fairy from Earth. Yes, Bloom, I've been keeping watch over what has been going on." Smiled Ms. Faragonda.

"I'm sorry about being so sudden..." Terra said rather nervously, brushing some of her black and maroon colored hair behind her ears. "But after what happened on Earth, I wanted to see this place for myself and see if I really had Fairy powers."

"Well, the fact that you were able to go through the barrier means that you are indeed a Fairy." Ms. Griselda stated, adjusting her glasses.

Terra felt herself blushing at the realization, with all the denial and protesting over the last few days, to be so accepted here was drastic. But the attacks from the Fairy Hunters, and Bloom nearly getting killed as a result of her denial, she wanted to give this a chance. She was wondering what it would take for her to actually transform.

"It's the winx!" Girls of varying ages were shouting.

"Look, they brought a new student, she looks so cute!"

"I heard that the Winx were going to fetch the last Fairy from Earth, that must be her!"

Terra felt her face burning at all the attention rather suddenly.

"Come, Ms. Dediere, and I'll show you to your room. You'll be sharing a dormitory with five other young ladies, each with their own special powers and abilities." Ms. Griselda said.

"Is it ok for my dog to be here?" Terra asked.

"Of course, so long as she is well trained." Ms. Faragona replied.

"Don't worry, she is rather well behaved." Smiled Terra as Sadie wagged her tail hopefully, and then Ms. Griselda led her to the school itself, and through the halls to where her future awaited...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: The Bonded Pixies **

Terra looked at her new room mates, feeling rather awkward when she'd said farewell to the Winx Club girls, and turned around.

"Wow... Erm..." She scratched the back of her head.

"So you're an Earth Fairy, eh?" Ion looked at her as though appraising her.

"Um..." Terra reached down to touch her dog, Sadie, to make sure she was still there. Sadie started wagging her tail encouragingly and she felt her confidence boost a little. "Apparently."

"And you just spent time with the Winx?" Astraia prompted, again Terra nodded.

"Come on, guys, you don't need to make her the center of attention." The blue haired girl said suddenly. "Can't you see she's uncomfortable as it is? Give her time to adjust before you cross examine her. By the way, I'm Kaelea, Fairy of Illusion. If you need anything, just ask." She introduced herself.

"I'm Astraia, Duchess of Solaria and Fairy of the Weather." The blond girl who had ran over to hug Stella said.

"Ioanna Jokaste. Just call me Ion, I'm the Fairy of Technology." Ion waved.

"Marcie, Fairy of Water." Smiled the girl with burnt ochre hair.

"Liona, Fairy of Rocks and Geology." The girl with dark skin and hair that reminded Terra of Aisha said with a grin. Only her eyes were mulberry.

"Erm... Terra... I dunno what I'm a fairy of yet. Just that I'm from Earth?" She shrugged. "Do any of you know where my room is at? I'd like to settle in if you don't mind." She added as casually as she could.

"I think that must be what the extra bed in my dorm is all about, actually." Kaelea grinned. "Come on in." She showed Terra to the dormitory that was once Bloom and Flora's room. "I figured my roomie might like the ground floor, so to speak."

"Thanks. Hope you don't mind having a dog in here too, but Sadie is really well trained." Terra scratched the dog behind the back of her ears.

"No problem, so long as she doesn't make any messes." Kaelea waved casually, and bent over to let Sadie sniff her hand before Sadie permitted the girl to scratch her as well while Terra went off to her new bed, where she tested it out for softness, and found she rather liked it.

Terra then noticed that all of her things had been transported here as well with a shock. She still wasn't quite used to magic yet, apparently. So she decided to take an extra blanket to make a bed for her dog next to her own. Sadie seemed to know exactly what the blanket was for, as she bounded right on over to it and curled up moments after Terra finished making it for her.

"So, do you know any magic at all yet?" Kaelea asked, and Terra shook her head. "No worries." Kaelea grinned. "I'll show you a little something, it's a trick I learned from my mom."

Kaelea raised both hands, then clapped them together. She grinned as Terra blinked when a bouquet of the strangest flowers she'd ever seen appeared in her own hands.

"Flowers from my home world, Aglaia. And unique only to my planet." She grinned at Terra's amazement. Then after Terra had smelled the sweet fragrance, Kaelea snapped her fingers, and the flowers vanished. "Told you I was the fairy of illusions, didn't I?" Grinned Kaelea, leaning against a dresser.

"This magic is a lot better than what I'd been seeing since I met Bloom and them." Terra said with a sigh, standing up and sitting on her bed.

"Oh? Care to tell me about it?" Kaelea said, looking a little concerned.

"Well..." Terra paused, during which Sadie chose to bark.

"You know," Ion had opened the door, and Astraia, Marcie and Liona could be seen directly behind her. "We would like to know that too. We think it's incredible that you were with the Winx for even just a few days. They're celebrities here in Magix."

"Really?" Terra blinked, having had no clue about just how famous the Winx were, as Enchantix Fairies, and now Bellievix fairies. So she went to explaining what happened, how the Fairy Hunters attacked and tracked her down, and how the Winx Club girls decided Alfea School for Fairies was the safest place for her right now.

"Wow... so you've really been through a whole lot in the last few days!" Liona said, her mulberry colored eyes wide.

"No worries, if those Fairy Hunters come a knockin', they won't know what hit them when we're done with them!" Astraia said rather firmly.

"Right. You're our friend now. And no creepy Fairy Hunter is gonna take you away from us." Nodded Kaelea in rare agreement with Astraia. Normally the two girls were polar opposites in nearly everything, at least that's how Terra could see their relationship from the get-go.

* * *

><p>And Terra wasn't disappointed in the dynamics that she had sensed when she first met the five girls either. When they were having breakfast in the cafeteria the very next morning, Astraia and Kaelea were soon locked in an argument about something that Terra had no hope of understanding with her current, rather lacking source of information about the magical dimension.<p>

"Don't worry about them," Ion said. "They're always like this, but they're good friends, really." Ion was already working on a mini computer laptop that she carried with her at all times, dark green with violet trim around the edges.

"Here, you should try some of this! They're great." Liona shoved a plate of food under Terra's nose. "Something easy for someone who's never had food from the magical dimension." She grinned.

Terra took a small piece, a tentative bite, then her face lit up in a smile.

"So, what've we got for our lessons today?" Asked Marcie as she leaned over to see what Ion was working on.  
>There was a pause as Liona pulled out their schedule.<p>

"Lets see... Winxology, Charms, Magical Theory, and Potions!" Liona said. The first word brought a halt to the argument between Astraia and Kaelea about the latest fashion, and how best to wear it.

"Winxology? What on Earth is that?" Blinked the two girls.

"Dunno... but it is taught by the Winx Club, so it should be interesting!" Liona shrugged.

"Hi Terra!" A voice came from behind, making her jump in her seat.

"Aisha! You're back from Earth?" Terra turned around, noting that many young girls were staring in surprise that she was able to speak so casually to the Winx Club.

"Oh yeah, we gave those Fairy Hunters the slip for now, and we decided the best place to be was here to keep an eye on things just in case. We've still got some Specialists on Earth to let us know ahead of time in case the Hunters catch on, but all in all, we've been able to come back for a bit for the lessons." Techna explained.

"You're in our first lesson today." Bloom looked rather excited at the thought that now instead of being the student, SHE was one of the teachers. "So we'll be seeing you in a little bit, Terra!"

They had to cut their conversation short as Ms. Faragonda came over to pull the Winx over for one last chat.

* * *

><p>"Wow... they gave those Hunters the slip? They must be strong if the Fairy Hunters were as clever as you said, Terra!" Ion said, clearly star struck to be in the class that Techna would be helping out in.<p>

"Come on, we'd better finish and get there early to get the best seats!" Marcie said quickly, shoveling down her food at top speed.

And fifteen minutes later, they were all standing outside the classroom indicated on the class schedule. Terra was feeling a bit apprehensive as she stood there, thinking about her first introduction in to Magic on Earth, being attacked by the Fairy Hunters, and seeing the Winx Club fighting them. She could hear the girls talking and making final adjustments on the other end of the door. She didn't even know any magic herself yet, but hoped that would change soon. She was eager to know what she would look like as a Fairy, and figure out what Fairy she really was since Astraia and the others already knew what they were, the Fairies of weather, water, rocks and geology, and technology. She felt like she was a little bit behind, compared to her room mates and the Winx.

"You ok, Terry?" Blinked Astraia, seeing that her new friend looked a little queasy.

"First day jitters?" Smiled Ion. "You'll be fine." She added confidently as the door to the classroom opened to reveal Ms. Griselda.

"They are ready for you now." She said, adjusting her glasses.

Ion looked behind their group and saw there were at least five or six other girls behind them now as well, all tittering and chatting about how excited they were to be taught by the Winx, or else pointing at Terra and muttering how she was the first Fairy from Earth in many, many years to attend Alfea.

"Ladies," Ms. Griselda said, catching their attention.

The group filed in, to take their seats, and Terra gave a shy wave at Aisha and Bloom, both of whom gave her encouraging smiles.  
>"Good luck, ladies." Ms. Griselda said, closing the door to the classroom behind her once everyone had taken their seats.<p>

Astraia had a mini scuffle with another blond girl, only she had pig-tails, and won what must have been the 'prime seat' in the class, before shoving Terra in to the chair next to the window on her other side.

"Really, Astraia, you need to stop being so pushy. They're gonna think you're rude!" Marcie said, taking a seat next to Ion.

"We gotta stick together, don't we?" Was Astraia's rationality behind her behavior. "We're roommates and friends after all."

"R-i-i-ght." Sighed Liona, leaning back in her chair.

* * *

><p>Once the final bell rang throughout the school, the Winx Club girls called for silence in the class.<p>

"Welcome everybody!" Bloom said. "In this class we will show you how to use your magic properly as a Fairy, and how to use your magic in the aid of others. To be honest, this is the first time we've had to teach. I think I was less terrified when we had to face Darkar to free the Pixies."

There were a few giggles among the class.

"Now, the first thing about being a Fairy, is learning how to use your magic." Tecna took the reins from that point as Bloom seemed to falter a bit.

_Magic? But I don't know any! _Thought Terra with a sudden shock of realization. She blinked and looked over at Kaelea, who had been the first to show her a bit of magic upon her arrival in the dorms. Kaelea smiled encouragingly before turning back to pay attention to their teachers.

She looked around, and saw that many others in her class were showing the same amount of doubt and uncertainty that she was, and felt slightly relieved that she wasn't the only one who didn't know how to properly use their magic. She blinked when she saw the Winx showing the class their particular styles of magic.

With Stella, she sent glowing spheres the size of golf balls floating all over the room, one of the sphere's nearly set one of Terra's text books on fire. To which Stella gave an apologetic giggle before regaining control of her powers. Nearly everyone in the classroom seemed impressed. After that, Flora raised her hands and transformed the glowing orbs in to beautiful, delicate pink flower petals that rained down on them. Ion was entranced by Tecna's display of power, by turning the blackboard in to a digital receiver for the text instead of the plain blackboard it was before. Then Aisha decided to show off some of her athletic skills on the desk with single hand stands, some dance moves, and a mid air flip- to which she received quite an applause.

"Each of these ladies exhibit what it takes to be a Fairy... Hard work, training, and good exercise are all keys to becoming the best Fairy that you can be." Bloom said.

As the lesson progressed, Bloom and her friends went to each student, teaching them how to reach within themselves to use their powers. Aisha moved over to Terra, as the two became friends when they met back on Earth.

"Just hold out your hands like this, Terra-" Aisha said. "And clear your mind. All you need to focus on is forming a sphere with your power and then-"

A few moments later, there was a violet sphere the size of a melon between Terra's hand.

"Woah...! I'm doing it!" She said.

"Well done, Terra! You've learned to access your magic! That will be the key to unlocking your Winx, the first level of any fairy." Bloom looked over from where she was at with Kaelea who had already formed a midnight blue sphere in her hands with her magic. Bloom understood how difficult it had been for Terra to believe in magic, having come from Earth, and knew this was a big step for her.

Terra smiled and laughed at being able to use her magic at last, before she lost control, then the following blast knocked the five teachers off their feet, while her classmates were nearly knocked out of their chairs.

"Wow! That's some power!" Stella said, rubbing her head. "That's just like the power burst we felt back on Earth that one day, remember?"

"I think that WAS the power blast we felt that day, actually." Musa was blinking, stunned at Terra's yet-to-be-controlled magic.

"Sorry about that." Terra was rather embarrassed at herself as she hurried over to help Aisha- who had been closest to Terra when she lost control- to her feet.

"Don't worry, you just need practice. We all do when we first start out." Flora said when she walked over to reassure the budding fairy.

"To be honest, you're a bit of a mystery, Terra. There's never been an Earth Fairy that attended Alfea before, to the best of my knowledge." Tecna said from the far corner of the classroom where she'd been teaching Ion and a couple other of the young fairies how to use their magic. "So we're still not sure how yet to prevent that reaction in the future."

"But it was worth trying." Terra nodded. "Now I know I can use magic... I'll keep working at it until I can control it and use it just as well as you guys can." She said, her face going a bit pink from sudden shyness when she realized she made another weird statement.

"Nothing like a bit of determination and power to get one motivated!" Astraia grinned.

"Don't worry, we'll help you as much as you need it to unlock your Winx, girl!" Marcie nodded.

"My Winx? I've heard it mentioned before... But what is Winx exactly?" Terra asked.

"Winx is the term given to one's magical power... The source of a Fairies magic. For instance... when we transform, we say 'Winx Believix' now." Tecna explained. "And when freshman Fairies transform, they use 'Magic Winx' to begin their transformation."

"So, there are different levels?" Asked Marcie, who tilted her head to the left in curiosity.

"We all start out with Winx, then there's Charmix, and Enchantix. And once you reach Enchantix, if you can reach Believix, you get so many more opportunities for new powers, wings, as well as skills." Aisha said with a nod.

"Your journeys as Fairies is just beginning, girls. Over time, your adventures will be quite different- and individually unique- to ours, and some of your powers may develop differently." Bloom said.

"Bloom, we only have five minutes left before they need to move to their next classes." Tecna reminded her friend of the time.

"Right... Time for you girls to get your first bit of homework from us. We want you to practice stabilizing your magic spheres so you can hold it indefinitely. It will be key to the strength of your Winx when transforming." Bloom said.

"And Terra, we want you and your friends to stay after class a bit. I've already informed Professor Wizkiz that you might be a bit late." Aisha said.

As the others filed out- casting curious glances behind them at Terra, Kaelea, Astraia, Ion and Liona- Terra felt almost as though she were about to be told off for nearly sending everyone to the floor when she lost control during class.

"Is there a problem? I'm sorry I nearly blasted everyone to pieces! It was an accident!" Terra said rather quickly before the teachers could say anything.

Bloom blinked, then couldn't help it as she laughed.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that, sweetie." Flora said, grinning as well.

"We simply wanted to tell you that we're taking you and your friends to Pixie village after school today." Bloom said once her laughter subsided.

"Oh! Pixie Village! You mean it?" Astraia suddenly burst out, without any restraint whatsoever in her decimals, causing Stella and Musa to wince a little at the noise. "I've always wanted to go there to meet my bonded pixie!"

"Yes, well, before we left for Earth to go to Gardenia, we promised the Pixies that once we found the last fairy on Earth and brought her to Alfea, that we'd bring her to the village to meet her bonded pixie for the first time." Bloom smiled.

"Wow... a pixie? Really?" Terra felt like her head had already absorbed so much information, only to get another new bit. She wondered just how much she'd be learning over the next week, heck, in the next few days, about herself and her powers.

* * *

><p>A crow outside the window of the classroom where Terra had been for the last hour that morning listened in to the conversation the Winx were having with the Earth fairy. Once the young girls left the classroom, the crow lifted off from the windowsill, flying away from Alfea college, and in to the nearby forest where its friends were waiting.<p>

"So?" Ogron asked once he saw Dumon appearing where the crow had been seconds before.

"The Winx are going to take Terra to Pixie Village this evening." Replied Dumon.

"Then that will be the time for our attack, when they are all distracted by those sniveling little pixies, thinking that the Specialists have us safely distracted on Earth will be their downfall." Ogron declared to the group.

"The last Fairy on Earth will be crushed just as she is beginning to bud!" Anagan laughed, his comment causing Ogron to smirk.

* * *

><p>"Wow... what a day." Astraia yawned and stretched after their last class. "I feel like an icky wrung sponge after doing a day's worth of cleaning in the kitchen!"<p>

"Only, you've never DONE a day's worth of cleaning in the kitchen." Marcie said, earning a glare while the others giggled.

They were walking out of their Potions Class to head back to the Winxology classroom, the door of which was slightly open, indicating that it was ok to come on in.

"Knock knock!" Astraia said, rushing over to hug her older cousin, Stella.

"Well hello, sunshine!" Stella grinned.

"Are you guys ready to meet your Fated Pixies?" Smiled Bloom.

"You bet!" Marcie looked just as energetic as Astraia.

"Then let's get a move on, it's a bit of a journey, and easiest if you're transformed." Musa nodded.

"Now, we know Terra can't transform yet, but can the rest of you?" Bloom looked at Kaelea, Marcie, Ion and Liona, all of whom nodded. "Good. Terra, we can help give you the gift of flight when we transform as well, so don't worry about falling behind or anything, ok?"

Terra nodded, eager to see what her friends looked like when they transformed.

"We'll transform just outside the gates of the school, then make our way into the forest, where Pixie Village is located." Tecna said.

"You can leave your books and things here while we're visiting the village. It'll make the journey easier that way." Said Flora.

Once everyone had discarded their books and backpacks, the five adult fairies took the lead into the halls, where many of their classmates stared as the group of ten passed.

"Wow... they're even staring at us!" Marcie whispered.

"That's because we're with the Winx!" Astraia flipped her golden blond hair in an imperious manner. "Not to mention we're just as good looking as them."

Kaelea rolled her eyes as though she wanted to say 'oh geeze' to Astraia as she tucked some of her pale periwinkle blue hair back behind her ears.

"It does make you more aware of what you look like, though..." Liona mumbled.

"Don't worry, you're just new to the whole stardom thing." Stella said.

"You'd better get used to the attention, not only do we have the six stars of Alfea College in this group, but the last Fairy on Earth is in here too, as well as the Princess and Duchess of Solaria, and the Princess of Domino, the hub-bub of magic in the Magical Dimension." Musa said. "As well as the Princess, and future Queen, of Andros... Need I go on?"

"Wow... So many worlds and titles..." Terra blinked. "It's like I'm an outsider who stepped in to the world of a fantasy novel or something."

When they were standing just outside the gates of Alfea College, Bloom then turned to the younger girls.

"We'll transform first, just in case. Ready girls?" She looked over at Aisha, Stella, Musa and Tecna, who all nodded. "Winx Believix!"

There were brilliant flashes of light and power that nearly blinded Terra and her friends for a few moments, before Bloom, Aisha, Stella, Musa and Tecna were revealed as Believix fairies before them.

"All right, now it's our turn to show off our Winx!" Marcie said after gawking for a moment or two.

"Let's go girls! Magic Winx!" Astraia practically shouted in her enthusiasm to show her own transformation off to her older cousin, who she pretty much idolized her whole life.

Astraia's hair came out of it's pony tail, hanging down to her waist in a single, flowing movement. While her top turned in to a sleeveless Asian-Style spring green turtleneck, with an exposed belly, with the collar being lined on top and bottom with ultramarine blue and cyan blue. Her mini skirt was spring green, with the tops and bottoms of that also being hemmed in ultramarine and cyan blue horizontal stripes. Her gloves went to her elbows, with exposed fingers, and were deep cyan blue lined around the elbow and fingers with ultramarine. Her shoes were knee length double buckled cyan blue boots, the buckles being ultramarine, as well as having two inch thick plat-formed ultramarine soles. Her wings reminded Terra of almost a sunburst style, with three small triangles jutting out, the top and bottom of both sides being spring green lined with ultramarine and cyan, while the center of the wings being ultramarine lined with cyan.

Next, Marcie emerged from her sphere of bright pink and light blue light. Terra's first impression was that she was staring at cotton candy that had suddenly taken the form of her new friend mid-transformation. Marcie's burnt ochre hair was now held back in a partial knot at the nape of her neck, with the rest of it hanging loose down to a point just above her waist. She wore an ultramarine, glittering headband as well- though not all of her bangs wanted to stay in it. Her top was a v-neck sleeveless shirt, with half crescents expanding from the point where her sleeves should have been, extending around the curve of her shoulders. Her top was two colors, ultramarine on one side, pink on the other, with a triangle shape in the middle from the top left to the bottom right at her waist dividing the shirt and a smaller ultramarine half-triangle around her waist to balance the look. Her miniskirt was bright pink, while her boots were knee length, ultramarine with a single pink buckle near the top, and bright pink two inch thick plat-forms. While her wings were rather simple looking, four triangle shapes with the main color being pink, lined with ultramarine.

Kaelea emerged next from her sphere of glowing navy blue light. Her hairstyle having changed from hanging loose, to a side pony tail held together by light blue beads, and her bangs hanging free over her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless top as well, with a deep navy-blue v-neck line lined in crimson red, a strap of fabric from the top right going diagonally to the bottom left at her waist, parted the semi-transparent true blue fabric between her top and her navy-blue miniskirt. Her miniskirt had two slits on either side of her hips, and her boots were navy blue with four spring green buckles, and black inch thick soles. Her navy blue gloves went to the elbow as well, while her hands were completely exposed, the fabric simply wrapping around the back of her hand instead of encasing her fingers. The gloves were also trimmed in crimson red. Her wings were rather simple, two wings with three thin triangle edges at the end, the center of the wings being spring green, lined with crimson red and navy blue.

Next was Liona, who struck Terra as being oddly colorful for someone who looked like they shouldn't be a fairy. Her waist length, extremely curly hair was held up in a half knot at the back of her head, by a bright orange hair tie, while the rest of it hung wildly loose around her. Her shirt was a u-neck line, and multicolored. The semi-transparent sleeves were a matching bright orange, while the left part of the shirt itself was mulberry, and the right was lilac, with the patterns being in the form of a half triangle starting from the top right of the shirt, to the bottom left. Two silver hoops the size of dimes hooked the shirt to the straps on her right shoulder, the top strap being mulberry, the bottom being lilac. The shirt was cut at an angle from the top left an inch below her breast, down to the right of her waist, and was lined in deep emerald green, while around her waist was a simple orange belt that matched the color of her sleeves and hair tie. The main color of her wrap-around half-miniskirt was mulberry, while under it was a pair of bright orange shorts exposed by the cut fabric at the right side of her waist. Her shoes were high heeled, and orange, while she wore lilac knee length tights. She wore a single orange glove on her left hand, with a deep green bracelet around her wrist. Her wings were small, looking like a capital 'D' put on it's side, with a pattern of dark emerald hoops at the top, and mulberry triangles at the bottom, the main color of her wings being bright orange that tied the rest of her outfit together.

Finally, Ion reappeared in her Magic Winx form, and proved to be a surprise to Terra, to say the least. Over her eyes and face, she wore what looked like a pair of VR-Visors she'd seen in a tv show back on Earth, only instead of blue, hers were dark pink with a hint of process red, and her bright green eyes seemed to glow as though the mask wasn't even there. Her shirt was also a u-neck line, with tank-top straps over her shoulders and small bright green hoops the size of dimes at the front base of each strap. Her shirt was glittering emerald green, with it being cut at the top right an inch below her breast, at an angle down to the left at her waist, lined with a deep purple, stripe that went at the same angle as the cut of the fabric. Her hair was still in its thin braid, though it seemed lighter than before. Instead of a miniskirt, Ion now wore glittering emerald pants that went a couple inches just below the knee, around her waist was a single, deep purple belt, and the bottom of her pants were also lined in deep purple. Her boots were spring green, with a buckle at the top being the same shade of purple as her pants, only she had normal heels instead of platforms. Her nails were painted purple, and she wore small spring green, glittering gloves at her wrists that wrapped around the back of her hand instead of covering all of her fingers, and the length of the gloves was only three inches past the wrist. Her wings were also a simple triangle shape, and she only had two of them. The center of her wings being a matching emerald green, with a line of pink around that, followed by a line of spring green, ending with the wings themselves being lined in deep purple.

"Wow... you guys are making me all envious... I can't wait till I can transform too!" Terra said with obvious envy on her face and in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your time will come soon. We all transform when we are ready to." Bloom smiled. She held out her hand to Terra. "I'll help you so you can fly with us. Be careful though, it's a bit of a strange feeling at first."

Terra smiled, and reached out for Bloom's hand. Once she took it, she felt as though she were being encompassed in a warm, glowing flame that made her lighter than a feather. She almost worried that she'd float right off the ground.

"Woah! You're not kidding about it being a weird feeling to get used to!" She said, to which Bloom giggled before taking flight.

"Just hold on tight is all you need to do, Terra." Smiled Bloom.

* * *

><p>It was an incredible feeling, as Terra was guided off the ground. She could feel her black and Fuchsia colored hair floating around her, She saw the nine fairies around her acting as though they were born to fly- even if Kaelea didn't look entirely thrilled about being so high up for some reason.<p>

"Now it's off to Pixie Village!" Stella proclaimed as they flew off away from Alfea College in to the forest.

"This is a much faster way to travel than walking." Astraia said as her golden hair whipped around her.

"Indeed, no blisters on your feet, and you don't have to worry about breaking any nails from up here. Plus, the sun is great for my tan!" Stella smiled brightly at her younger cousin.

Terra wasn't paying attention to the cousin's and their babble about flying as she admired the scene of the forest from so high above. As she flew with Bloom, she could hear the sound of the birds in the sky, enjoying the clear blue heavens just as much as they were. She even could swear she understood a bit about what they were saying- talking about the large group of Fairies that decided to join them that afternoon in their flight.

"Huh?" She blinked as the flock of birds outstripped them, her surprise at the moment nearly causing her to let go of Bloom's hand.

"What's up Terra?" Asked Bloom.

"I thought I could understand what those birds were saying. It was bizarre!" Replied Terra.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that's just your powers becoming stronger, due to you learning how to use them more responsibly." Bloom replied with a smile.

"Sounds like to me that you're becoming the Fairy of Animals, with the affinity you seem to have with every living creature." Said Aisha, who flew over to them.

"Fairy of Animals, huh? Well, that would make sense I guess." Terra fell in to a thoughtful silence, wondering about what she would look like the day she finally transformed.

As the descent began, Terra could hear excited shouts from many tiny voices.

"It's the Winx! The Winx are here!"

"And they brought friends! Just like they promised!"

"Hurry, hurry! Everyone come out!"

Terra found herself double taking as the ten fairies landed just outside the village and all the Pixies were flying towards them in joyous greeting.

"Bloom! You're back from Earth!" Lockette squealed, nuzzling Bloom's face.

"Hello my little Lockette, how are you?" Smiled Bloom in return.

"How are you Musa, those bad Fairy Hunters back on Earth didn't hurt you or anything? Let's have a look!" Tune was saying as she flew around Musa to make double sure that she was unhurt.

"Everyone, we have new Fairies to introduce to you." Bloom said once everyone was done with their greetings and warm welcomes. "This is Terra, the last Fairy from Earth. She's come to Alfea to learn magic, and how to use her Winx."

"Welcome Terra," Nimphea flew up to greet Terra. "It is an honor to finally meet you!"

"Hi, the pleasure's all mine." Terra said nervously. "These are my friends, Astraia, Kaelea, Ion, Marcie and Liona. We've all come here to see if we can meet our bonded pixie?"

"Of course! Everyone should be gathered by now." Nimphea looked around at all the pixies who were staring anxiously as though expecting something good to happen.

"What do we have to do to meet our pixie?" Asked Terra.

"You don't have to do anything, when the Pixie sees you, you'll know." Aisha smiled. "It's an instantaneous reaction, like love at first sight."

Astraia, Kaelea, Ion, Marcie and Liona all stepped forward to join Terra- who felt oddly out of place for a moment, being surrounded by so many Fairies who could transform while she couldn't- then they looked at the group.

After barely a moment of silence, six pixies rose up from the group, each one of them looking star-struck, as though they'd never seen anything more amazing or wonderful in their lives. A pixie with bright Fuchsia hair up in a pony tail was flying right at Terra, arms open wide. She wore a pink top with a square neck line, with bell sleeves also lined in orange. Her skirt was two layered, with a slit in the middle, revealing the bottom layer and lace around the bottom. The top layer of the skirt was orange, while the bottom was dark green- the same shade of green as her eyes.

"Hi there, Terra! I'm Chita, the Pixie of Organization. You look so amazing and pretty! I'm so happy to meet you!" Chita said, flying around Terra, and staring at her as Terra gawked back at how cute the little pixie was.

"Hi Chita, I'm Terra Didiere... I don't know what Fairy I am of yet except for being from Earth. You are so adorable, little one!" Terra held out her hand in greeting, palm facing upward as Chita landed on it.

The others were also enjoying meeting their pixies for the first time. Astraia's pixie was in stark contrast to Terra's. Her pixie had long, wavy, light blue hair with white highlights, with a purple lilly flower just above her left ear acting as a hair clip to keep her hair from getting out of hand. Her dress was a pink halter-top with a square neckline, with thick tank-top sleeves. The skirt of the dress was the same shade of blue as her hair, with a waist high slit on the right revealing the pink second layer underneath, and the final layer of the dress below that was the semi-transparent under-skirt. Her eyes were the same shade of purple as the flower in her hair, as she stared at the blond beauty whom she knew to be her bonded fairy now.

"Wow, you're so beautiful! I'm Felice, the Pixie of the Stars." The blue wonder said in a high voice.

"Awe, and you are just so cute! I'm Astraia, Fairy of Weather, and Duchess of Solaria." Astraia held out her hands as Felice floated over to her.

A little blond haired pixie came zooming over to Ion, the biggest, warmest smile on her face that Ion had ever seen before, and she couldn't help it as her heart seemed to melt at the sight.

"Hi, Ion! I'm Bibi, the Pixi of Toys! I can't wait to get to know you and have loads of fun with you!" Bibi squealed. Bibi's hair was the same shade of blond as Astraia's, however, she had hers up in two knots at the top of her head. Unlike her friends, she wore a long sleeved shirt- the sleeves being cyan blue, while the shirt itself was light aqua. She wore knee length cyan blue shorts as well, and matching cyan shoes.

"Oh, cutie pie, I'm Ion, the Fairy of Technology in this group. And you are just so fun to be around, I bet!" Ion said with a giggle that normally would have been quite out of character for her.

Kaelea's pixie had black hair in a pony tail, and was simply gawking at her as though she couldn't believe her good fortune in having Kaelea as her bonded Fairy. The pixie wore a dress of imperial violet, with a v-neck line and semi-transparent sleeves, a dark purple belt around her waist, and a dark purple underskirt. Her eyes were the same shade of violet as Kaelea's, and currently alive with light and adoration of her Fairy.

"You are so amazing! I can tell already! I am Flicka, the Pixie of Light."

"Hi Flicka, I'm Kaelea, the Fairy of Illusion." Kaelea was actually returning the gesture of gawking at her beautiful little Pixie friend.

"Hello Liona! I am Garnet, the Pixie of Good Health! I can see we're gonna have lots of good times together in the future!" The pixie that flew up to greet Liona didn't waste any time and had no problems in stating what she thought about her Bonded Fairy. Garnet had bright pink, waist length straight hair held back in a lilac headband that had a bow tie on the left side. Her eyes were lilac as well, and she had painted her nails the same color. Her dress, however, was spring green and foot length. While the neck line was u-shaped, and lined in lilac with a lilac bow in the center. The top portion of the dress was a wrap-around at the waist, tied together with a simple lilac string, while her shoulders were bell shaped, and the sleeves at the wrist were form fitting around the arms. The skirt of her dress was dark forest green as well.

"Why hello there, my little Garnet, such a pleasure to finally meet you!" Liona couldn't help but laugh at her Pixie's abruptness in her welcome.

Marcie's pixie's hair matched her own color, though the Pixie kept it up in a single knot at the top of her head. The Pixie wore a bright pink four layered, ruffled tank-top shirt with ruffled pink straps on her shoulders, and a light blue skirt lined with matching pink ruffled lace at the bottom. In her hair, she wore a few four leaf clovers that matched the color of her eyes.

"Wow are you lucky to have me as your Pixie! I'm Scarlett, the Pixie of Luck and from here on out, whenever you're with me, nothing will go wrong!" The Pixie declared.

"Well that's good to know, sweetie. I'm Marcie, the Fairy of Water. I can't wait to get to know you better!" Marcie outright laughed for joy.

Bloom and her friends watched with smiles on their faces as Terra and her own friends were getting to know their pixies.

"Well, this is a much better way of meeting your Bonded Pixie than how we met ours." Said Stella. "Remember, Bloom?"

"How could I not? Deep in the tunnels around Darkar's hideout? But I'm still glad we met our little cuties when we did." Smiled Bloom in return.

* * *

><p>The moment didn't last long however, as quite suddenly, the ground began to tremble, as though an earthquake were striking the tiny village.<p>

_I wonder how Sadie will take to having a new friend to play with! _Terra was thinking when the quake struck. She was quite literally knocked off her feet and on to her backside as the strength of the quake grew within seconds of it starting.

"Terra! Are you ok? This is so not an orderly way of treating us or the village!" Chita shouted in alarm as the Fairies took flight, while Astraia and Kaelea flew over to their friend, since she wasn't able to transform yet.

"Girls, you keep Terra surrounded! It's probably the Fairy Hunters!" Bloom told Marcie, Liona and Ion, who looked like they wanted to join in on the fight.

"I can do a scan of the area with my goggles!" Ion said. There was a moment's pause as she hovered near Terra and looked around. Terra could hear several beeps and clicks coming from the mask. "Yes! I see the four men in that direction!"

"Come on girls!" Bloom said.

"Good work, Ion!" Tecna could've done the same thing, but she decided on letting Ion have her moment. Especially since she had her VR-Mask and could easily scan without having to summon anything.

"Can't we fight with you?" Astraia stayed where she was, but looked like she wanted to follow her cousin.

"No Astraia, it's much too dangerous for a Fairy with no Believix powers! Stay here and look after the Pixies!" Stella said. "The Specialists should be here soon in case things get out of hand!"

The Winx didn't have very far to go to search for the Fairy Hunters. It turned out Ion's calculations were dead on and they were still within eyesight of Terra and her friends.

"All right, Ogron, you got our attention!" Bloom shouted, enraged that Anagan had attacked the innocent, Pixies and their Village.

"You didn't have to attack our friends, though!" Stella pointed at them.

"Maybe a little Golden Ivy should cool their jets?" Asked Flora as she raised her hands in front of her.

Ivy and vines sprang up out of the ground at lightning speed, threatening to wrap around the four men, who jumped out of the way, backing up, before landing several feet from them.

"We've told you before, Winx, that you are endangering others in a useless manner by defending the Last Earth Fairy. If you would just hand her over, we'll leave you in peace!" Ogron said. Indeed he had told the Winx Club that the last time they were on Earth, before they were given the slip by their Zoomix powers.

"And we've told YOU that's not gonna happen, Ogron!" Bloom blocked Terra and her friends from Ogron's view.

Anagan frowned as the vines chased him, then vanished in a burst of speed, only to reappear in front of Terra and her friends.

"Honestly, little Terra, why must you have all these people risk their lives on your behalf when you could easily just surrender and end this struggle?" He asked.

"So you're the Fairy Hunters?" Blinked Liona, staring at the man.

"Back off creep!" Astraia and Kaelea stood in front of Terra, who was still on the ground and staring in a sort of blank shock.

"Oh, be careful!" Flicka called out.

"Astraia, no!" Stella called out, as Dumon transformed in to a giant fanged bird and attacked her.

"Dude... you're looking at the Fairie's of Weather and Illusion here... Don't mess with us!" Astraia shouted, noting to herself that she sounded braver than she really felt as Anagan grinned, obviously sensing this.

"You fairies... always the talkative type, aren't you?" Dumon said as Ogron was blasted away momentarily by a combination attack from Musa and Tecna. He raised a hand, the palm facing the fairies who stood between him and Terra, then sent a blast at Kaelea and Astraia.

"No!" Terra shouted, coming out of her state of suspended shock, seeing her friends fall certainly brought her out of it.

Next Ion, Liona and Marcie flew over to protect their friend, who could barely use her own magic.

"How low can you guys get, attacking a Fairy who can't even transform yet?" Snarled Marcie.

"You shouldn't be giving her the hope of even being a Fairy. Because by the time we're done with her, there won't be any Fairies from earth left to protect!" Ogron said as Marcie, Ion and Liona fell.

"Girls!" Terra and Chitta hurried over to see that they were ok as Bloom sent a blast of dragon flame at Dumon, forcing him away from the girls.

"We're sorry... we're not quite strong enough to fight them yet..." Astraia breathed, barely able to stand after Dumon's attack.

"Then I'm done for..." Terra's eyes were wide in terror. _I can't even transform, and I can barely use my magic. What can I hope to accomplish in this state against the Fairy Hunters? _

"Terra...!" Bloom shouted as they flew over to her and her friends, now that they had the opportunity.

_Don't think like that Terra..._An oddly familiar voice suddenly filled Terra's mind. It was warm, loving and encouraging. Almost...Almost like a mother's voice. But it couldn't be... she had no mother... Yet... Terra couldn't help but listen to her. _You are the last Fairy from Earth, if you give in to your fear and the Fairy Hunter's taunts, then all magic for our beloved world is lost. You have an affinity and never ending love of all living things. Believe in your friends. Believe in yourself, and they will be able to send the Fairy Hunters running. _In her mind, Terra could see the woman, with long dark hair, beautiful butterfly fairy wings, and wearing a layered green gown that flowed to the floor. The woman smiled at her before she vanished. There was something familiar about her, but Terra couldn't figure out what that was.

"Right..." Terra said out loud, realizing she'd been about to give in to despair upon seeing her new friends in the weakened state.

"Terra?" Aisha asked, noticing Terra acting a little strange.

"I keep on hearing this voice in my head... She told me to not give up hope, and believe in you. And that's what I'm going to do. I believe!" Terra looked up with a confident smile.

There was nothing encouraging about that to Ogron. He had been about to take advantage of her doubt and fear. Whoever that voice was that the Earth Fairy was hearing, he really hated it right now.

Bloom not only felt reassured by Terra's renewed belief in her and the Winx, but she also felt stronger. Was this the power of the belief of a human in magic? Each time Terra's faith in magic had been boosted, each time her trust in Fairies had been restored, Bloom noticed that not only did she feel reassured, but her magic as a Believix Fairy became stronger as well. Perhaps more hinged on the trust of the last fairy from Earth than she initially thought? She would have to talk to Faragonda about that after they returned to Alfea.

"Fairy Hunters, prepare to meet your match! The Winx will beat you!" Terra declared, not really knowing why she was saying this, but just going with the feeling of boosted confidence that she initially felt with the contact from the strange woman. Since she couldn't fight with magic yet, she believed in the Winx with all her heart to drive the Fairy Hunters away from them and the Pixie Village.

Kaelea blinked at her friend. She had never seen her so confident since they first met a couple of days ago, and felt that this was a turning point for Terra. As she watched the conflict unfolding, Musa sent a Sonic blast at all the Fairy Hunters, while Flora attacked with her Autumn Wind, strengthening the Sonic Blast as a double attack forced the Hunters back a few paces. In the meantime, Tecna and Aisha put up a combined shield of Morphix and Digital Web around Terra, Kaela, Astraia, Ion, Liona and the pixies.

"There, that oughtta protect them while we duke it out with the Fairy Hunters!" Aisha said, looking over at Bloom who had been deep in thought for a few moments now.

"Right... Ogron, it's time to show you what the Winx are made of!" Bloom shouted.

"Go Winx!" The Pixies were yelling.

"Be careful Bloom!" Lockette squealed in apparent worry.

"Dragon Flame!" Bloom shouted suddenly as the Fairy Hunters prepared for another attack of their own.

The giant dragon made entirely of fire erupted from within Bloom. It soared in to the sky around the four men, who all looked up at it. Ogron held out a hand to absorb its power, but nothing happened. Instead, he was barely able to fend off the dragon as it tore at all four of the Hunters, burning, weakening and tearing them apart.

"Now's our chance girls!" Aisha said. "Morphix Wave!"

"Static Sphere!"

"Golden Ivy!"

"Sonic Blast!"

As each of the Winx called out their attacks, the dragon lifted up to give their spells a chance to work as well. Tecna's sphere surrounded the Hunters, while Flora's Golden Ivy wrapped around their bodies, rendering all escape attempts useless. The Morphix Wave tied their feet down to the ground, and last but not least, Musa's Sonic Blast made the ground vibrate with the force of the increased sound strength. Then, Bloom's Dragon Flame came back around for a second attack as the shield Tecna put up faded away.

"Had enough?" Asked Musa.

"Hi ladies!" Came Sky's voice from above as the Specialists arrived on the scene.

"Brandon, honey!" Stella said with a wave of greeting and a watery smile of joy.

"Sorry we're late." Nabu looked over at Aisha.

"What matters is that you're here, love." Aisha smiled in relief.

"So, Fairy Hunters... what will you do now?" Asked Riven. "It looks like our girls have already given you a run for the money."

Cain looked over at Terra and gave a sigh of relief. Nothing had happened to her, even though her friends certainly looked worse for wear.

Ogron glanced at his three allies and saw that they were completely out of breath. The belief of the last fairy from Earth in the Winx had proven to be their downfall. This time.

"You Fairies have not seen the last of us. When we come back, you will be sorry you ever refused to cooperate." Ogron snarled before the four vanished.

"Humph, I highly doubt that." Musa said, before turning around, as Tecna and Aisha's shield around Terra, her friends and the Pixies faded away at last.

"You did it! You beat them back!" Lockette smiled brilliantly at Bloom, flying forward at once.

"And you didn't even get a scratch!" Tune added, looking at Musa.

"Of course, these are our girls we're talking about, Tune." Riven said, having been working on trying to change from the brash, rude personality that had gotten him in trouble with Musa before.

"Well, it wasn't exactly orderly, but the Winx did send those bad guys running." Chita said.

"All thanks to you, Terra." Aisha turned to her young friend after embracing Nabu.

"It's thanks to your renewed belief in us that we were able to have the power to defeat those Fairy Hunters." Bloom said, looking like a proud parent.

Terra blushed brilliantly. Once again she was being singled out.

"Yeah! You guys really kicked butt!" Kaelea said. "Even without being able to transform yet, you can still provide what you need to ensure victory."

"But the Pixie Village got ruined because of the attack... because of me." Terra looked back at the tattered miniature village where the pixies dwelled.

"Don't worry about it, we can rebuild. We always do!" Nimphea smiled elegantly at them all. "I thank you for helping to keep us safe and protected, Winx." She added.

"Well, shall we head back? We need to talk to Ms. Faragonda about a few things." Bloom looked at the others, who nodded.

"We want to come too! We've never been to Alfea, and we wanna see our Fairies' rooms!" Scarlett was positively trembling with excitement.

"Of course you can come back with us. I wouldn't have it any other way." Marcie giggled.

"Then let's go. Good luck in rebuilding." Bloom looked at the pixies, before turning to Terra and once again offering her hand to help the Earth girl fly with them.

"We'll meet you there, and put up a guard around the school. Those Fairy Hunters won't be able to so much as sneeze in your direction without us being in the know if they're anywhere nearby." Sky said.

"Sounds good Sky, see you in a bit!" Bloom said as Astraia, Marcie and Kaelea all burst out laughing at Sky's comment.

"Bloom, can I ask you something?" Terra looked over at Bloom as they took to the skies.

"Well you just did, but feel free to ask another question." Smiled Bloom, feeling in a particularly good mood since their latest victory over the Fairy Hunters.

"Well, I've been thinking... and do you think Ms. Faragonda will know anything about that voice, and the woman I've been seeing lately? I mean... I know what she looks and sounds like, and she's always kind, warm and caring towards me. But I know nothing about her." Terra looked rather abashed at this fact.

"No worries, Terra. I'm sure Ms. Faragonda will be able to point you in the right direction." Nodded Bloom in response.

"And... I've been thinking as well about something else. About me not being able to transform... Is there any way we could get certain circumstances set up that might help me transform? I don't want to be that useless again... I want to be able to do something in case the Fairy Hunters turn up and you're not around to help... You know?" Terra went on.

"Hmm... That might take a little time to arrange. But I don't see why we couldn't figure something out for that. I mean... I remember the way I was able to learn to transform was in the virtual dome that Professor Paladian uses for certain aspects of our training. Maybe the same thing could be used for you... But we'd have to have something figured out in case of a Fairy Hunters' ambush as well." Bloom looked ahead, remembering all too well the day she was taking an exam in the virtual world used by Paladian, and how the Trix attacked her outright in the middle of the program. And that was where she learned to use her Winx properly against them. "Yes... I think we can work something out for that."

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at Alfea school, many young girls looked over at them and shouted about the Winx being back as the Fairies transformed back in to their civilian clothes in bright flashes of light. The pixies were floating around their Fairies in excitement and joy about being back at Alfea after the fairies met their new Bonded Pixies and the battle that took place after the Fairy Hunters' ambush.<p>

"Let's go straight to Faragonda. The sooner we can talk to her, the better." Aisha said as the usual crowd of young Fairies seemed to flock around them.

Ms. Faragonda was just stepping out of her office when she saw the group of Winx and young fairies with their pixies approaching.

"Hello girls." Ms. Faragonda smiled.

"Hi, Ms. Faragonda. We have a few things we need to talk to you about." Bloom smiled in greeting.

"Very well then, girls, would you mind waiting out in the hallway?" Ms. Faragonda turned to Astraia, Marcie, Kaelea and Ion.

"Not at all, Ms. F." Astraia said, though she looked a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to see the Headmistresses' office yet. It had been one of her dreams to be inside the Headmistress' office since she heard Stella talking about it during the summer holidays on Solaria.

"Thank you. We shouldn't be too long." Ms. Faragonda looked at the Winx and Terra, their signal to come on in.

Terra looked around at the office in awe, her shock at being attacked at Pixie Village wearing off now. She felt calm, safe and protected here.

"Very nice, it's so orderly and tidy in here!" Chita commented, and Terra giggled.

Ms. Faragonda smiled at the Pixie,as she waved a hand, summoning several comfortable chairs out of mid-air, for the girls to sit in.

"Now, what did you need to talk about, Bloom?" Ms. Faragonda asked once they were all seated, and the Pixies in their respective Fairies' laps.

"Well, actually, Terra had a question for you, about someone she's been having mental communications with." Bloom said, looking over at Terra.

"Right." Terra nodded at an inquiring look from the Headmistress. She described all of her experiences with the woman thus far, and what she looked like.

"From the sound of it... it appears that Morgana, Queen of the Earth Fairies has been in contact with you, Ms. Dediere." Ms. Faragonda said finally, after several moments of silence. "I've never met her in person, but it would make sense that you being the last known fairy from Earth, that you would have a connection to the Queen of the Earth Fairies." She summoned a book on the History of Earth Magic and flipped through a few pages. "But just to be sure... is this the woman you've been in contact with?" With a light hovering spell, Ms. Faragonda sent the book over to Terra, who gawked openly, her mouth wide.

"Yes! That's her! I had no idea she was so important, let alone the Queen! But... What does this mean about me? Why is she so helpful? I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything... But... Why was it only just recently that she's been in communication with me, if I've had this magic all my life, like Bloom's been saying?" Terra said all of this very quickly as she started from Ms. Faragonda to the picture of the Queen of the Earth Fairies, the book said that her name was Morgana. And the name had a familiar ring to it, to Terra.

"Well, it is quite possible that she may not have known you existed until the Fairy Hunters attacked you that day on Earth. Morgana has remained quite elusive since her realm was sealed away, and I have never met her in person, so I can't say for sure why she didn't try to contact you before. Perhaps it was because she couldn't, from her limited and secluded position on Earth. Or perhaps she had to wait until you were aware of your Winx, so that you could use your own power to hold the connection needed to communicate as well." Ms. Faragonda suggested after a few moments of thought. "There is still a lot that we do not know about in regards to Earth Fairies and their magic, or the effect that Earth Fairies can have on others."

"I think it is clear, though, if I may say so Ms. Faragonda, that the power of the belief of someone on Earth in magic and Fairies can be strong. If Terra hadn't restored her confidence in us, and our ability to defeat the Fairy Hunters when they attacked us just now at Pixie Village, I don't think we could've walked away from that fight unharmed." Bloom said, looking at Terra again with pride and gratitude.

"Yes, belief can be a powerful instrument in any form." Nodded Ms. Faragonda. "And it's clear that Earth magic is quite different than other magic realms, even that of Domino. If we could study it more, then we might be able to figure out a way to free the Earth Fairies, and bring balance back to the human world before the Fairy Hunters do any more damage to it. Was there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"Yeah." Terra was brought out of her trance-like state, still staring at Morgana in the book that had been handed to her. "I talked with Bloom about it on our way back, and I was wondering... if there was anything circumstantial that we could do that will help me transform quicker? I mean... She mentioned something about Professor Paladian's virtual world, how it helped her transform for the first time when she started attending Alfea."

"Well... I'm actually not sure if the same could be said for you, Ms. Dediere. Bloom's case was certainly circumstantial and unique in many situations." Ms. Faragonda looked doubtful.

"But what if we used a terrain similar to the Earths'? If we could simulate an exact replica of what Terra's familiar with, it might help." Bloom said upon sudden inspiration. "That way it wouldn't be quite so strange to her."

"It might take a couple of days of preparation, but I think Professor Paladian might be able to whip something up like that. But we would also need some sort of system in place for emergency protection. I think the Trix attacking Bloom back in her first journey in the Virtual World proved that it is possible to penetrate the defense mechanisms already in place against such a situation." Ms. Faragonda said.

"What do you think, Terra?" Asked Aisha, looking over at her young friend, who nodded.

"Yeah, I don't mind waiting a few days while you guys work something better out." Answered Terra.

"Then it's settled. Oh, and one more thing... You can only take in with you what you can carry in your backpack." Ms. Faragonda added rather quickly.

"Can I bring Sadie with me? I don't like to be away from her too long. She's like... my best friend and all." Terra looked shy. "Apart from you, my little Chita." She said rather hastily when Chita glared up at her with a rather indignant 'what about me!' expression on her face.

"Of course, I don't see why not." Smiled Ms. Faragonda, at the Pixie's reaction to Terra's statement about Sadie. "If that is everything then...?" Faragonda looked around.

"I believe it is..." Bloom looked at Terra, who shook her head, pretty much stating she had no farther questions for now.

"Very well then. Ms. Dediere, I shall inform you as soon as Paladian has the Virtual World ready for you." Faragonda stood up, the Pixies took flight, and the Winx and Terra rose from their chairs as well.

"Thank you Ms. F, for everything." Terra said as she was lead from the office.

"Any time, Ms. Dediere, anytime. Feel free to come by if you have any more questions or problems." Faragonda said as she waved goodbye to the girls.

Ms. Faragonda then turned away from the now closed door, and walked over to the office window behind her desk. So, Queen Morgana of Earth was in telepathic contact with Terra, the last Fairy from Earth? If that was true, then the Fairies of Earth might still be alive, just locked away somewhere. This matter would take some looking in to, that much was for sure. And it would probably need Terra being able to transform, to provide more assistance to the Winx and their mission on Earth.

* * *

><p>Once Terra, Kaelea, Astraia, Marcie, Ion, Liona and their pixies were in their dormitory, Astraia turned to Terra.<p>

"So what happened? Why were you looking like the Princess Ball had sprung early?" Asked the Duchess.

So Terra explained what had been discussed, who she found out had been in telepathic connections with her since the Fairy Hunters first attacked. And what the Winx, Ms. Faragonda and Professor Paladian would be preparing for her over the next few days.

"Wow! So you've been in contact with the Queen of your world without even knowing it!" Said Marcie in awe.

"Yeah. But I want to know more about this Queen... and why she's been helping me, apart from me being the last Earth Fairy and all... I mean... I'm not ungrateful or anything. Without her encouragement and advice, I wouldn't be here."

Her friends all looked at her, then each other. Not sure what to say to this.

"Well, I'm not sure what will come of it, but we're behind you all the way. You're our friend, regardless!" Liona smiled, the gesture being returned by Terra.

"Thanks, girls." Terra said, her mind still so full of everything that happened that day, apart from the Fairy Hunters' attack at Pixie Village.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

Boy, another doozy. But Chapter 3 is finally complete! It was fun, I admit, but challenging. All the descriptions of each pixie, and the new Fairies' transformations? Yeesh...

On a side note, I pronounce Chita as Cheetah, for anyone curious about THAT little pronunciation. (OMG, big word at 11 P.M. !)

I've been slowly chipping away at this chapter after a bit of a hiatus. Took me about 4 days to complete the last half after stopping a month or more ago on the first. But now I can finally move on to the other part. If anyone's curious as to what my Winx girls REALLY look like transformed, you can find them in my deviantART gallery here:

.com/gallery/31227083

As you can see, I'm already working on their Charmix, Enchantix figured out, and am working on Believix and beyond outfits! I always like to have all or almost all of my characters' outfits/uniforms designed/figured out before I start writing, it helps me so much with the story plot line, let me tell you!

I had to watch a lot of Winx Club Season 4 episodes to make sure I had their personalities right, and the time lines of certain events. In this chapter, I hint at the fact that things might be a little rocky between Musa and Riven like in the original show, but I'm not making it a main event, since this story is about Terra and her group. Not Bloom and her friends, even if the original Winx girls DO play a part in Terra's protection, and all that.

I hope you guys who are fans of the first couple of chapters can forgive me for taking so long in getting this out to you. I've had SO many doctor's appointments, meetings, tests, etc. the last few months that my writing kind of went on the down side for a while until things were calmed down enough for me to finish these things (With some encouragement from my friends and fans to keep me going! Thanks so much for that, guys!)

I mean it... without your comments, and favorites/story watches, I wouldn't have the energy to finish these things. It kind of acts like a bit of an adrenaline rush, knowing that there are people who genuinely enjoy my writing and writing style, and want to see more. I do really appreciate it and thank you for it!

And for the next chapter? How will Terra overcome her 'block' in being able to transform? What will she learn about herself, and how will she be able to use it to find out more about Morgana? Who knows! You will find out next time, no doubt!


	4. Chapter 4

**Proper Author's Comments will be after this chapter. Till then, read on my friend, read on!**

**Chapter Four: **

**The Path To Become a Fairy **

Terra was twisting and turning in her bed, late at night before the simulation test was going to be held. Chita was hovering over her bonded fairy in worry as Sadie also looked on in concern.

"Oh, this is not a good sign!" Cried the pixie before zooming off to wake Terra's roommate, Kaelea.

"Hmm...? What's going on Chita?" Asked a very drowsy Kaelea, who's blue hair was sticking up at all ends. "It's nearly three in the morning!" She realized rather angrily, before seeing the panic in the pixies' face.

"It's Terra! She keeps on having nightmares, and neither Sadie nor I have been successful in waking her up!" Chita squealed.

"Nightmares?" Now Kaelea was worried too, and got out of bed, hurrying over to see that the pixie of organization was indeed telling the truth. She'd never seen her friend in such a worse state, and she had the feeling she knew what was bothering her so much too. "Terra, Terra!" It took shaking her friend several times at the shoulders before she woke up.

Terra's eyes snapped open, and she stared wildly around, as though she'd forgotten where she was for a moment.

"What? Kaelea? Chita?" Terra breathed heavily, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Hey, we heard shouting, is everything ok?" Asked Astraia after knocking on the door to the dormitory and walking in, followed by Liona, Ion, and Marcie.

"Terra was having a really bad nightmare, luckily Kaelea was able to snap her out of it!" Chita said before anyone could speak.

"Nightmare? What was it about?" Astraia looked concerned for her new friend.

"I was just about to ask that myself." Nodded Kaelea.

Terra looked around, her heart was still hammering, but surrounded by her friends, she was able to think more clearly, even as she stroked Sadie's head subconsciously, she noticed that her hands were still shaking.

"It was the Fairy Hunters... and... they were at my Daddy's shop, attacking him. They were telling him that unless he gave himself up for their plans, he'd attack every animal in the store until I came to save them." Terra said as tears started flowing down her face. "It felt so real! And it sounded exactly like the sort of low thing the Fairy Hunters would do to try and capture me."

"There there, I'm sure your Dad is ok." Marcie said reassuringly.

"I dunno... It felt so real, like this connection that I have with animals and every living creature. If only I knew I could call long distance from dimension to dimension, without him having a bigger phone bill, I'd call him right now! But Alfea definitely counts as a range zone."

"Well, I can tell you one thing, you won't be making any phone calls to your Dad right now, it could be exactly what the Fairy Hunters want! I mean, if Dumon can transform into animals, they'd be able to pretend to be your father when you'd call, or force him to say whatever they wanted him to say." Liona patted her friend on the head.

"I know someone we can contact for help... I'll give my cousin a call. She won't like her beauty sleep being interrupted, but this is more important." Astraia said, and Terra just now noticed that she had her cell phone with her.

* * *

><p>Indeed, Stella was fast asleep with cucumbers over her eyes and face-rejuvenating cream over her face at that hour when her cell phone started ringing. In the middle of a dream about Brandon finally proposing to her and everyone's joy at their future wedding prospects, Stella felt she was woken rather abruptly by the ringing.<p>

"What? Brandon?" She said randomly, sitting bolt upright- which caused the cucumber slices to fall on to her covers. Then she saw who was really calling, and felt her heart sinking. "This better be good for her to bug my beauty sleep." She grumbled. "Yeah, Astraia? What is it?" She finally answered. Then her eyes went wide. "What? Terra's not doing too great? I'll wake up the girls! Be right over!"

And after a few minutes, and an angry outburst from Musa, the Winx girls were fully dressed and standing in their old dormitories.

"Terra! What's wrong!" Aisha said when she saw the young Fairy in tears, Astraia and Kaelea on either side of her on her bed, with Liona, Ion and Marcie surrounding them. Terra had Chita in her lap as Sadie nuzzled her.

"Terra had a really bad nightmare and she can't shake it." Astraia explained at a look from her older cousin.

"It was the Fairy Hunters!" Terra exclaimed quite suddenly, causing Astraia to jump a little at the noise at this hour of the morning. "They were attacking Daddy in his shop. And threatening to attack all the animals if they didn't cooperate with him to lure me back to Earth!"

"Calm down, Terra, it was just a bad nightmare." Bloom tried to reassure the young fairy. She had not considered what kind of an impact the attacks from the Fairy Hunters and leaving her father, her only family, would have on the girl. Especially considering when her experience into becoming a fairy had been quite different. She looked at Aisha for help when Terra shook her head.

"I know, why don't we send Nabu and Timmy to check on Mr. Dediere..." Aisha said after walking over to Terra and kneeling down to be eye level with the young Fairy. "Does that sound better? We can't have you running off into what could possibly be a trap, after all."

After thinking about it for a moment, Terra finally nodded.

"Timmy will be able to contact us right away when they get there to let us know what's going on. And Nabu can check your apartment too to make sure things are ok there." Techna caught on rather quickly to what Aisha was thinking.

"Exactly. And we'll stay with you all the way, ok?" Aisha said, hugging her young friend, who hugged back rather tremulously.

"Thanks guys." Terra sniffed, finally calming down, feeling safer now that not only were her friends here, but the Winx were here as well.

"So we're having a slumber party then?" Stella said brightly.

"It appears so." Nodded Musa. "We'll just have to keep things quiet so we won't wake the other students."

"It feels just like old times, doesn't it? We're even in our old dorms!" Flora smiled.

"I know right? It's kind of bizarre." Bloom looked around at the different furniture and wall décor that Kaelea and Terra had been using.

"Here, Terra, I can whip you up something to help you get back to sleep for a little while longer, and it will help with your nerves." Flora said as she summoned a delicate tea cup steaming with a hot tea.

"Thanks, Flora." Terra had been hoping to get a good night's test for her first venture into the simulation chamber. After a tentative taste of the tea- she'd never really been a fan of herbal teas before- she found she rather liked it. It was just sweet and savory enough that it had an enjoyable flavor to it.

Aisha stood up to give Nabu a call and talk to them about what they were needing to have done for Terra, to farther ease her nerves on this very important day.

Finally, Aisha hung up.

"Timmy and Nabu will be back on Earth in a few hours and let us know what they find." She said when everyone's heads turned to her. "In the meantime, Terra, try and get some sleep, ok? The rest of us will stand guard for you here."

"Does that mean we get to stay up too?" Asked Astraia, causing Terra to giggle for the first time that night.

"No, you have classes you still have to attend tomorrow. So you need to get to bed." Musa said after looking at Bloom.

"Besides, we're the Winx. We can handle anything thrown at us!" Stella shrugged her shoulders, and shook her hair imperiously at them all.

"Don't worry. If anything happens again, I'll sound the alarm! It's the only orderly way of doing things, after all. Leaving the Winx to be on guard!" Chita said.

* * *

><p>So with the Winx standing guard, Terra and her friends all decided to have a slumber party in that room and Kaelea summoned four sleeping bags, all color coordinated for each of the Fairies who wouldn't have a bed.<p>

"And they're extremely comfortable too, so when you wake up, you won't be missing your bed for once!" Kaelea said.

"Nice. I was dreading having sore limbs and a back to gripe about tomorrow." Marcie said, and it was hard for even Stella to tell if the young girl was joking or not.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch thanks to Flora's potion, and the fact that she gave some to each of Terra's friends. She didn't tell the girls this, but it was also a potion to help one sleep without nightmares. So, as she told Bloom and Aisha later on, if Terra still had the nightmares it would be a sign that they were not natural-made dreams.

"If anyone knows her potions, it's Flora." Nodded Musa.

* * *

><p>When Terra awoke, it was to find sun blazing through her opened windows, and feeling fully rested.<p>

"Wow... Flora's tea really did the trick!" She mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes rather groggily.

"I know right? I haven't felt this well rested in a long time." Marcie sat up bolt upright once she heard Terra mumbling. She then looked over at Astraia, who was snoring quite loudly. "I wonder how any of us would've been able to catch the Z's without Flora's potion with that." She added as Liona looked around, clearly wondering what was making the racket also.

Ion's usually tidy hair was sticking up at all ends, her braid looking like it needed to be redone as Kaelea woke up, also looking like she had a serious case of bed-head that night.

"Is everyone awake in here?" Asked Bloom, knocking on their door.

"Not quite everyone." Marcie grabbed her pillow, and Bloom watched as even Terra joined in with the others, surrounding Terra.

"This is SO not an orderly way of waking someone up!" Complained Chita.

"Oh relax, it's all in good fun." Bibi giggled.

"Ready girls?" Marcie looked around at her friends, then...

WHAM.

She smacked Astraia with her pillow, and the others followed suit.

"AUGH!" Astraia screamed as she was pummeled with the pillows, and Bloom burst out laughing as the other Winx came running in to see who screamed. "Ok, ok! I'm up!" Astraia cried, her normally sleek, tidy blond hair looking like she'd rested on it on one side. "Is that any way to wake a Duchess?" She asked, starting to straighten up her hair.

"When she's snoring like a thunderstorm it is." Giggled Liona.

Astraia glared.

"All right, now that you've interrupted my cousin of her beauty sleep- clearly- get ready and meet us in the hall. Today is Terra's day in the simulation chamber!" Stella had been giggling like mad. It was fun to watch when she wasn't on the receiving end.

"That's right!" Ion gasped, still holding her pillow like it was a weapon. "Today we may finally get to see Terra's true Fairy form!"

* * *

><p>So ten minutes later, Terra and the others had scrambled to get ready- Astraia and Ion in particular having to fight with their hairstyles that morning- and Terra was standing nervously out in the hallway with her backpack, Sadie and Chita hovering around her.<p>

"And even more good news," Said Aisha, who'd just gotten off the phone. "Terra, your Dad is doing just fine and so are the animals."

"Oh thank heaven!" Terra sighed in relief.

"So it really was just a nightmare!" Astraia hugged her friend.

"Now you can tackle that chamber worry free, girl!" Kaelea smiled.

"Indeed. Shall we get going after a good breakfast?" Tecna asked, her stomach grumbling.

So the group of twelve walked down to the cafeteria- followed by many other young fairies' stares as they passed.

"I'm not sure if I'm gonna eat anything." Terra said, her stomach felt queazy, like if she ate anything, she might bring it all back up.

"Come on Terra, you're gonna need your strength for today. Just because it's a simulation doesn't mean it's not gonna be real to you." Bloom said, finishing her breakfast early. "I'm gonna go check and see how Professor Paladian is doing with the preparations." She added.

"And we'll make sure Terra eats her food." Stella said. "Come on girl, there are some foods that are guaranteed to help with beauty, strength and your overall good looks." She added as she took a bite of tomato.

After hearing about it from nearly all her friends, Terra finally surrendered and ate her meal- which resembled one from Earth much to her surprise.

Once everyone had eaten, they decided to leave the stares of the other Winx and Charmix Fairies and headed off to the simulation chamber.

"Wow." Terra looked around, having never seen a room like this.

"Hi guys, everything's just about ready." Bloom said.

"And with Bloom's help, I was able to make a complete replica of Gardenia." Professor Paladian said as he made the final adjustments to the chamber.

"Oh, good luck Terra!" Chita said.

"Don't worry. With any hope at all, I should come out a brand new Fairy finally!" Terra grinned, hugging her little pixie.

"Especially if it's done in an orderly fashion! Just like how I spent all afternoon putting your desk and papers in order yesterday." Smiled Chita, and Terra supposed this was her pixie's way of wishing her luck.

"You ready, Terra?" Asked Bloom, and Terra gulped but nodded. "She's all set, Professor!" Bloom called as the entrance to the room opened to reveal none other than...

"Headmistress Faragonda!" Bloom said in surprise.

"We didn't think you'd be here." Stella blinked.

"Of course I would attend this momentous occasion. There hasn't been an Earth Fairy transformation in many many years, and Terra may need more than your help alone."

"You mean in case the Fairy Hunters turn up somehow?" Asked Musa.

"Exactly. The Fairy Hunters recently proved that they won't hesitate among a crowd, be it humans, Fairies or Pixies that have surrounded themselves around Ms. Terra." Ms. Faragonda said, joining Professor Paladian in the control room. "Ready when you are Ms. Terra."

Terra took a deep breath.

"C'mon, Sadie." She told her dog, and the two stepped into the chamber. Looking up, she could see the Winx standing in the control room, where Paladian sat, and Faragonda was watching her.

"Ok Terra, I'm starting the simulation." Paladian said. After pulling a couple of levers and pressing a few buttons, Terra saw Gardenia materialize right before her eyes.

"Wow... This looks just like my city!" She looked around first to get her bearings as to where she was, wondering what she was supposed to do to gain her transformation that was so important to becoming a Fairy.

Sadie apparently seemed to have forgotten where she was because she bounded forward acting like she was right at home in this simulation.

* * *

><p>Just outside the school, in the shelter of the Gloomy Wood forest, Ogron and his men were gathered in the shade of the trees with their eyes shut tight.<p>

"She's alone in the simulation chamber now." Anagan said, opening his eyes first.

"Good. We'll set the stage so the Fairies can't attack. The Winx and Faragonda think their magic can stop us? Well... They just opened up a challenge, and a challenge that we'll gladly accept. Remember our target boys..." Ogron's eyes snapped open as he clenched his fist. "Let us cast the spells first that will make it impossible for even a Bellievix fairy to break through in to the chamber."

* * *

><p>Techna was watching Terra as she hurried after Sadie, when she thought she saw something rather odd happening to the simulation.<p>

"Huh?" She blinked.

"What's up Techna? Did you spot something?" Asked Musa.

"I thought I just saw an irregularity in the distribution of the simulation being projected." Techna already had her mini computer out.

"A what-edy-who now?" Asked Stella.

"I saw a strange flickering in the chamber, like something was about to fritz out." Techna reworded her sentence.

"Not good." Aisha had goosebumps on her skin at those words that something was possibly going on in the simulation chamber already. Had Terra's nightmare the previous night been a bad omen?

"Calm down girls. Let's just wait and see what happens before we put a stop to this." Ms. Faragonda said calmly, though Bloom noticed that she looked worried too. "How can we ever expect Ms. Terra to grow into a Fairy if we keep sheltering her from every little thing, after all? It may be that one day, Terra and Terra alone will be the one to face the Fairy Hunters."

Bloom was looking at Ms. Faragonda, at this sudden proclamation.

"But not right now, not when her training as a Fairy has only just begun." Aisha said, worrying about the Earth girl, whom she'd come to think of as a little sister of sorts.

"I can't get a read out on the anomaly... maybe it wasn't really anything after all?" Blinked Techna, staring at her computer.

"Oooh... I hope she'll be ok! It would not be a very orderly manner if her simulation were to be interrupted by those creepy Fairy Hunters!" Chita sniffed in worry.

"Don't worry. She's got Sadie with her, remember?" Smiled Musa.

"Small consolation. I mean, I know Sadie is magical and all or she wouldn't be here, but still... she's just a dog!" Chita watched her bonded Fairy catch up with said dog, and this statement suggested to the others that perhaps Chita and Sadie weren't quite getting along yet.

* * *

><p>"There you are, Sadie! Don't run off like that!" Terra gasped, catching up to Sadie at the park. It was then that she felt a prickling on the back of her neck, like she was being watched by more than just the Winx, her friends, Ms. Faragonda and Professor Paladian. Looking around, every hair on her arms seemed to stand on end as she saw a strange flickering of light that lasted for only a few seconds then vanished. "That was like the Sun Dogs we would see in the skies at home, remember?" She smiled, trying to keep things calm for the sake of her dog- who did not handle stress all too well at times.<p>

Suddenly, Sadie's whole demeanor changed as her ears perked up in a way that Terra had only seen twice since the two became friends. Then the dog started growling, the hair on her back standing up as Terra realized what could be behind all of this.

"Fairy Hunters..." She whispered, staring around wildly, taking off her backpack and setting it on the grass. "Where are you? Show yourselves!" She shouted. When nothing happened, a sudden fear filled her heart that made her breath catch in her throat. Was this their power? The power they could hold over an Earth Fairy? Or was she just becoming stupid and paranoid? "C'mon Sadie, let's keep moving."

Sadie barked at her, and followed her master away from the park- though now keeping up a steady guard around Terra.

* * *

><p>At that same time, Techna's computer fritzed out entirely, the screen going black.<p>

"Oh no! Not good!" Musa said, who'd been watching her friend curiously.

"It could just be interference of signals from the Simulation and computer mixing though... But it's highly doubtful." It was obvious Techna was trying to stay calm in light of loosing the use of her computer.

"Ms. Faragonda, we have to get in there before anything else happens!" Aisha said rather loudly, causing Stella- who was right next to her- to wince.

"No, not yet. Giving in to their obvious bait is just what we do not want to do right away." Ms. Faragonda sighed.

* * *

><p>Terra had found a shaded bench to take a break on, and pulled out a water bottle to take a long drink from, as well as a small bowl, before pouring some water into it for a grateful Sadie. As she sat there, thinking, she recalled the Fairy who'd been communicating with her mentally since she met the Winx. She knew now that that Fairy was Queen Morgana, the Queen of the Earth Fairies... Her Queen essentially. But what was she to do with this knowledge? When she couldn't even transform?<p>

"Ah... I just dunno what to do anymore, Sadie..." She sighed when the dog had finished drinking her water. "Ok... just put this back in my bag and-"

She was interrupted as a familiar black-hole-like warp appeared in front of her.

"You can start by surrendering to us, Terra." Ogron said as the other three appeared on her left, right and behind her. "That is what you can do. You'll make our lives easier, and that of your so-called friends."

There was a flash of violet light, during which Terra brought her arms up around her face. But it wasn't an attack this time.

Sadie quite suddenly turned around as Dumon stepped forward, and growled in a manner that Terra never heard before.

"So, girl, you can either surrender now, or later." Dumon said with a sneer.

"How about never?" Terra sounded much braver than she felt as she felt her throat catching her voice shortly after. _Ok... if I can do this... What Aisha and Bloom have been teaching me... I might be able to get Sadie away from here! _

Terra took a deep breath. She had not been very successful in this technique yet. But it just might work in this scenario. She brought her hands up, like she was holding an invisible soccer ball. Then concentrated. Concentrated harder than she ever had on anything before.

"You're wasting your time, Terra!" Gantlos shouted, stomping his foot on the ground causing an Earthquake just as a sphere of violet energy appeared in her hands.

This quake was so powerful it knocked her right off her feet and nearly into her backpack, momentarily loosing her focus on the energy sphere. Or bomb, as she liked to call it. Grunting as she landed, she heard Sadie yelp in fright.

_I've got to keep trying. Queen Morgana told me to believe in myself and the Winx... and all of my friends! _Terra thought desperately as she struggled back to her feet again. She backed up to the bench she'd just been sitting at as the ground shook violently all around her, cracks forming in the ground and on the buildings. But she found her footing with a little help from the bench. At the same time, Dumon transformed into an enormous black, spectral-like dog with glowing red eyes to face Sadie.

"You certainly look tasty, mutt!" He growled.

"No! Leave my dog alone!" Terra shouted. And suddenly, in her fit of rage, fear and determination, the sphere came to life in a glowing, vibrant, pulsating orb the size of a soccer ball.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it!" Bloom gasped. "Aisha, she's doing it!"<p>

"I know-!" Aisha's worry was evident as a flash of violet light blinded all of Paladian's sensors and even damaged some of the screens when Terra released the energy all at once, directing the heart of the explosion at Dumon.

* * *

><p>Terra barely had time to comprehend what she'd just done, snatching her bag up in the violet smoke and sparks, she tapped Sadie on the head. The dog followed at once, and they were barely able to get away, down a nearby alley that she knew rather well.<p>

When Gantlose blasted away the smoke and sparks with a sonic blast from his hands, it was with a frustrated growl that he saw Terra was gone, and she actually managed to wound Dumon. Who's arm was bleeding profusely from the attack. He even had injuries to his chest and face.

"Dumon!" Gantlos said in alarm. "This is not good... This means that she's awakening as a Fairy, Ogron."

"I know what it means. We need to find her, and fast." Ogron said as he cast a healing spell.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it... she actually managed to injure Dumon." Musa was gaping, once the screens had returned to normal.<p>

"Professor Paladian, can you find her? Make sure she and Sadie are ok?" Aisha asked urgently as Chita hovered around her in a panic.

"Yes. She's headed to the southern end of the city." Paladian found her, and zoomed in the image to show that she and Sadie were still running through the alleyways.

"At least she's learned enough not to stay in one place too long with those four hunting her down like that." Stella commented.

* * *

><p>Terra finally stopped, out of breath even though she'd just drank some water. Looking around, she realized that once again she'd lost her bearings. When suddenly, Gantlos appeared right in front of her.<p>

"Going somewhere, Terra?" He asked as the pair backed away, Terra in a sudden panic that rose just as abruptly as Gantlos appeared.

She took a misstep as she backed away, and feel on her back end, causing Gantlos to burst out laughing at his targets' clumsiness. She heard the sound of flapping winds as Dumon appeared to her left in the form of a giant black bird, and Sadie started grumbling again, taking a protective stance right in front of her master the same moment that Ogron and Anagan joined their teammates.

Sadie suddenly launched herself at Dumon, who'd transformed back into the black dog and made to attack Terra.

"Sadie! No!" Terra shouted as the two bit and snarled at each other, tumbling over with the force that Sadie had collided with Dumon. Terra stood up to try and get to her dog, but Gantlos moved quickly and grabbed her arm from behind. She'd never seen her dog so fierce before. Yet she supposed every dog had that in their disposition, no matter how sweet and kind they were towards their master.

Suddenly, there was a loud yelp- it was hard for a second for Terra to tell who it came from, even if her heart was hammering in her chest with panic- and then Sadie was on the ground as Dumon changed back into his human form.

"No, Sadie, no!" Terra struggled to get free from Gantlos' grip as her dog trembled from her spot on the ground, still trying to protect her master.

Suddenly there was a blast of energy, and Gantlos felt as though his hands were being engulfed in flame. He let out a yell of shock as electricity seemed to spark from Terra's body and she slipped from his grip like water, rushing to her beloved friend. She put a hand on Sadie's head, as Sadie licked her other hand, unaware of the pain Terra had caused in Gantlos moments before. All she knew is that she had to do something to heal her friend.

As she thought this, she saw that Sadie became surrounded by a violet aura and her wounds on her side and leg vanished. Was this the power that she had, to help animals in need, as the Fairy of Animals? Gawked Terra, caught off guard by her own show of magic as she could hear the Fairy Hunters surrounding her again.

"Surrender, Terra. Or next time your stupid dog will not be able to recover from her injuries." Ogron warned as Sadie tenderly got back to her feet.

Something inside her seemed to be bubbling up. Anger such as she never felt before, rage and determination. She would make this last long enough for the Winx to get here. She had to.

"You've attacked me in my own home, threatening everything I loved there. Then you followed me across the dimensions of magic. You haunt me in my sleep, turning dreams into nightmares... And now you are here ruining what was supposed to be one of the greatest moments of my life! I've had enough! You'll see one way or another, that I am not like those other Earth Fairies that you killed and entrapped back home." She turned to face the Fairy Hunters.

"Oh look boys, our little Fairy thinks she has what it takes to take us on now!" Ogron said, and Gantlos and Anagan both laughed at her as a violet aura emanated from her body. It was the same aura that nearly burned Gantlos' hands.

Then it happened. It was as though a door had been flung open. A door long kept a secret and locked away. Ogron saw the change in her eyes as she became engulfed in violet light and pure energy. It was the same energy he faced when he challenged and won against Queen Morgana.

"No!" Ogron shouted in alarm as, moments later, the last Earth Fairy had at last emerged in full Magic Winx form before their very eyes.

Terra felt elated, and powerful in her new form, hovering in front of her dog who'd done all she could to ward off Dumon. She now wore dark purple knee length boots that had dark belt buckles, a lilac front on the feet of her boots and lilac triangle top just above the buckle. The platforms themselves were process red. She wore a dark purple miniskirt with a lilac underskirt on the left side, a dark purple u-neck tank-top with a single strap on the left shoulder. The shirt was cut at the top left just underneath her breast, and was at an down-sloping angle meeting the skirt at the right side of the hips, and lined on the bottom with a process red strap that also lined the top of her skirt. Her stomach was not exposed, though, with a semi-transparent lilac piece of glittering fabric acting as an undershirt of sorts. She had the same fabric as a sort of sleeve on the left shoulder, that turned into a dark purple glove just below the shoulder. This glove did not cover her hands, but rather left them exposed with just a triangle-shaped wrap on the back of both her hands. There was no shoulder cover on her right shoulder, but the glove was in the same style. A small portion of her hair was held up in a neat side pony-tail on the left with a glittering lilac hair tie. Her nails were painted process red, and she even wore matching process red lipstick.

Her wings were larger than that of her friends, but that, she supposed was simply because she was an Earth Fairy. The top set was curved upward like a large, angled triangle, lined in dark purple, with a light pinkish-red hue in the center. There were process red dots near the tip of her wings, with what looked like upside down U's near the base, that also had the dots in the center- like eyes. The bottom wings were in the same fashion, though slanted downwards at an angle. In between the two wings were four dark purple antennae-like extensions the same length as the main wings, with the process red dots at the top and the middle, with two on each side.

"You're going to pay for this, Fairy Hunters!" She cried. Then suddenly she realized that she was hovering above the ground with fluttering wings just like all of her friends! "Hey! I did it! I transformed into a Fairy!" She exclaimed, looking down at herself just as another brilliant flash of light nearly blinded them all. "Winx! You're here!"

"Yes, luckily Techna and Professor Paladian were able to figure out how to get past the barriers the Hunters put up." Aisha looked relieved, then suddenly realized something, but Bloom got to it first.

"Terra, you've transformed into a Fairy!" Bloom said, blinking that in the moment they had used Zoomix to get in, Terra had finally transformed.

"Looks like everyone's here... good..." Ogron looked at the Winx as their Zoomix wings disappeared. "This will make the first and last transformed fight of the Earth Fairy all the more meaningful."

"In your dreams, Ogron!" Musa shouted as Flora started summoning a spell.

At that same moment, Dumon transformed into a giant crow, flying with razor sharp talons directed at the Fairy of Nature.

"Autumn wind!" She shouted, shooting a powerful blast right at the Wizard, and she finally managed to catch him right at the heart.

"Dumon!" Gantlos shouted as he fell, landing on the ground in his human state, looking even more weakened than when Terra attacked him. He was the first to reach his comrade.

"Ogron... what's going on? My power isn't as strong as it was!" Breathed Dumon as Gantlose helped him to his feet.

"Dragon energy!" Bloom shouted, sending her dragon flame attack right at Ogron who raised his hand to absorb the magic. But instead, he too was knocked down to his knees. Could this have something to do with Terra cementing her belief in Fairies, because she's transformed? He glared at his target as it appeared that Dumon could not recover this time.

"Who's gonna beat whom this time, wizards?" Asked Aisha, now flying in front of Terra and Sadie, prepared to protect.

"Golden Ivy!" Flora said as Gantlos moved to run at Sadie again. The ivy that was summoned wrapped itself around the wizard in mid-step and tossed him right into Dumon, Anagan and Ogron.

"Sonic Boom Blast!" Musa called, sending a blast of sonic booms at the wizards before they had time to think, causing several new cracks in the cement and winded Dumon and Anagan.

"Wizards, it's time to retreat." Ogron said, shoving his friends aside.

"Running away again, Ogron?" Bloom couldn't resist.

"No, Bloom. We'll be back for your friend. And next time we'll have a spell just for you, Winx!" Ogron said as Dumon needed help from Anagan and Gantlos to get back to his feet a third time. "Enjoy your wings, Terra. While you can."

And they vanished into a black hole that he summoned.

"Wow..." Blinked Terra, realizing it was over.

"I'm ending the program girls." Professor Paladian's voice caused Terra to literally fall out of the air in surprise. By the time she landed, the city of Gardenia had vanished to reveal the original insides of the Simulation Chamber.

* * *

><p>Outside the chamber, Astraia, Kaelea, Liona, Ion and the pixies were all waiting nervously as Ms. Faragonda came out of the control room. They could tell something had gone wrong in the programming, but weren't quite sure what.<p>

"Ms. Faragonda, is Terra ok?" Asked Kaelea nervously.

"Oh, you'll see." She replied with a smile.

When the door was opened, the girls were greeted by a purple blur as Terra, in her elated excitement, came flying out ahead of the Winx- who had transformed back into their civilian states- and zoomed around.

"Terra! You transformed! You did it!" Astraia said when she finally landed behind the girls- who all turned around, looking at her friend.

"I'm a fairy, I really am a fairy just like Bloom and the Winx said!" Terra laughed as Sadie bounded over, and she was engulfed in a wave of arms and Pixies...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

wow, it finally happened, Terra's transformation! I had planned on it happening on Chapter 4 from the beginning, and it panned out exactly as I imagined it would! Of course, I had to figure out how Terra would be 'in' Gardenia when it happened without actually leaving Alfea, then the Simulation Chamber popped into my head and solved this problem. Also? This chapter is written in record time! Approximately 5 hours (Three hours Saturday, May 12th, 2 hours today, Sunday May 13th).

And now the story will really start to pick up since I've gotten past another 'problem chapter' as I call them xD

How does Terra's power/magic affect the Fairy Hunter's so much? Well, she IS human, technically, and from Earth. So I imagine when she cements her own belief in Fairies by transforming INTO one, it would have an affect on those hunting her. Not to mention, there is also another force channeling through her to make her stand on her own long enough to let the Winx get there. Who is this force? Queen Morgana, helping out one of her own. But what is the real reason? Who knows! That mystery will be answered later on.

Something else to mention? A friend of mine thought that my art of Kaelea made her look like a relative or cousin to Terra. Can I say now, that I am four chapters in, yes? But HOW exactly she is related, I won't say yet. I personally hate to sound biased, but I love Terra's transformation the most, how I picture it in my head and everything.

I also didn't include the Specialists a whole lot in this chapter, at least not directly or anything. While they did help give Terra a peace of mind after her nightmares about the Fairy Hunters attacking her father, let's just say they were busy standing guard out of sight around Alfea College for Fairies. Apart from checking in on Carl Dediere for Terra and the Winx.

Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: **

**The Mysterious Powers of Belief**

_The sound of a crying baby filled the room, having just been born merely a week ago, the little angel was practically throwing a fit about something. _

_ "I think she wants her mama, Queen..." A yet unfamiliar voice said. _

_ "Bring her here..." The tired, but happy voice of the Queen replied. "Terra, Terra, my little angel... You're safe here, no need to cry." _

_ She couldn't see the face of this voice, but the crying soon turned to coos and giggles of a baby as she was held in the warm, safe arms of a woman she barely knew, yet felt connected to in the strongest ways imaginable. The woman was laying in her magnificent bed, holding her daughter, singing to her as a man entered. Little tiny wings appeared on the baby's back, around a violet aura as the first signs that she was a fairy, just like her mother, manifested themselves during the earliest stages of her life..._

Terra woke, to light blazing through the windows of her and Kaelea's dormitory. Rubbing tears from her eyes, she realized what she'd been dreaming about. The source of that voice, the warmth of the arms that she'd never known. Her mother. She'd been dreaming about her mother. The voice was so familiar, only because she'd heard it communicating with her before, during her situations of utmost need, or to pass along a message. Then another question started nagging her... _Was Queen Morgana really her mother? Or did she merely make that assumption just now because of the dream, and the similarities between the voice in her telepathic communications with the Queen, and the flashback she just had? _

* * *

><p>"Wakey-wakey eggs and bakey!" The door to their dormitory was swung wide open by Astraia, who barged in unannounced, fully dressed in a vibrant light green, and blue knee length skirt today.<p>

"How uncouth!" Chita wailed from her little pixie bed on Terra's dresser, who was also just barely awake.

"Oh hush." Felice snapped, flying over to her Pixie friend. "You're just crabby because my Duchess woke you up!"

"I was already partly awake, but barging in here unannounced when my Terra has had a bad night is hardly what I call orderly!" Shrieked Chita.

"Huh?" Astraia blinked as Kaelea came out of the shower, squeaky clean and dressing herself.

"It was nothing! Just a crazy dream is all! I mean, with the Fairy Hunters knocking on my door every week, how impossible is it to believe that I'd have nightmares about them?" Terra laughed nervously, hoping they wouldn't press this rather personal issue.

Sadie gave a loud bark, to which Terra was grateful that the others couldn't understand animal talk at this point.

"Yeah, you're right. C'mon, Terra, it's the weekend! And in celebration of your finally achieving your Winx, I'm gonna take us all to Magix!" Astraia announced with a broad smile. "My bank account is full, and just begging to be emptied!"

"Awesome!" Kaelea said as Terra cheered, having never been to Magix, it would be hopefully the start of a beautiful day.

"And don't worry about protection, I called some friends of mine at Red Fountain Academy to come along. They're our age, I think a couple of them may even be a bit older, and best of all, the Winx agreed to let us go hang out with them!" Astraia said as though this were the coolest thing in the world.

"Astraia's been planning for this outing ever since you achieved your Winx, Terra." Liona said, walking in, wearing a pair of white jean shorts, a mulberry t-shirt with a v-neck, and a mulberry-colored shawl around her shoulders, her long, ultra-curly hair held back in a half-knot pony tail.

"Then let me throw some clothes on, feed Sadie, and we can book it." Terra jumped out of bed, slipping on the carpet on the floor, and crashing to her side as she tried to grab hold of her bedding to stop her fall.

With Sadie barking loudly in alarm at her master's fall, and all the racket being caused by the girls, it was no wonder that they attracted attention.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Bloom asked, opening the door. She and her own friends were on their way to the teacher's lounge cafeteria for breakfast, when they heard the racket in their old dormitories.

Astraia, Kaelea, and Liona were all laughing hysterically as Chita flitted around Terra frantically, using a hovering spell to untangle her bonded fairy from the bedding.

"Really, now!" Chita snarled at the Fairies, as Bloom and Aisha were blinking, staring at the mess. "This is seriously not an orderly way to go about your day!"

"Relax, Chita it was just an accident!" Terra rubbed her head as Aisha rushed over to help her up to her feet.

"My goodness you make a lot of noise for so early in the morning." She stated.

"It's not on purpose. I was just trying to get out of bed and my foot got caught in the bedding." Terra rubbed her now sore head. She didn't need to feel coddled to death. How was she supposed to be a proper Fairy of Earth if she wasn't allowed to be herself and mess up once in a while? "You think you guys could... I dunno... vamoose while I get ready?" She added with a touch of annoyance.

"Oh, right... see you girls later!" Bloom looked a little hurt at the way she said it, but after Aisha dragged her out, to be followed closely by Astraia and Liona, as well as their pixies, they closed the door behind them.

_Queen Morgana... what is it you are trying to tell me now_? Wondered Terra as she stepped into the dormitory shower. She knew there was a message behind the somehow haunting, chilling scene she'd witnessed that night. She'd never known her mother. She'd always assumed her mother died giving birth to her, as her father said. Yet from the moment she learned she was a Fairy, let alone the last fairy on Earth, she was hearing a voice. A warm, kind voice that always supported her. Encouraged her to go beyond what she knew to believe to be true in her life. A guidance that she couldn't explain, other than it being from a mother. But her mother...?

No... it wasn't possible. Her father always said that her mother died in child-birth, after being ill for so long during the pregnancy. She knew it was a miracle that she was alive today, thanks to her mother's sacrifice. And yet...

As her emotions built up inside her, tears began falling. She didn't know why, as she washed her hair she let her tears blend with the shower-water and bubbly, foamy hair shampoo. After she'd run the water until it was ice cold, she finally stepped out, grabbing her towel and drying herself off before picking out her clothes in silence.

"Terra." Kaelea, who'd been standing guard with Sadie to make sure there weren't any intruders while Terra prepared for an exciting day, had not missed the sudden swing of emotions, that usually came from being around the Fairy Hunters again. She made sure there was such a tone in her voice, that Terra couldn't possibly ignore it.

"Yeah?" She asked as she slipped on a blue t-shirt that matched her eye color- her short, black and Fuchsia-streaked colored hair was still sopping wet- and turned to look at the serious concern on her friends face.

"I know it was more than just a nightmare about the Fairy Hunters, and you don't want to worry your friends. But I want you to know that I'm here if you need to talk. I may not understand what it's like to be the last of your race, and have the burden of unlocking its secrets, but I can always lend an ear." Kaelea said, putting a hand on Terra's shoulder.

"Thanks, Kaelea. But I'm fine, really." Replied the fledgling fairy who was now towel drying her hair.

"No, you're not. You were crying earlier, I can tell. I know these kinds of things must be hard, but you really can trust me. It's not like I'd go blabbing to anyone. Astraia can't keep a secret longer than two minutes anyways." Kaelea glanced at the door, and she thankfully heard Terra giggling at the joke at Astraia's expense. "So, what's eating at you?"

"It was the dream I had last night... I think it was my birth-mom. But I can't see her face. I can only see the rest of her, and hear her voice. She sounds just like Queen Morgana when she's communicating with me." Sighed Terra, as she brought the towel over her face to dry her bangs.

Kaelea stared, not sure what to say to this when Sadie walked up and nudged her leg for some attention. She didn't have that great of a relationship with her own mother, however, that didn't mean she couldn't be supportive of the relationship her friends wanted to have with their parents. Especially Terra, who apparently never even had a mother.

"I know this may sound generic and all but... I think in time you'll know the truth. We all learn who we really are through experience, trial, and error. That's what my Fairy Godmother once told me back home. And you've got friends and celebrities backing you up all the way." Kaelea said, giving the 'peace' sign with her fingers at Terra.

"Thanks." Terra smiled, now fully and blissfully dry. She brushed her hair, put it in a pony tail, put her shoes on, and was at the door when she realized Sadie was going to try and run out ahead of them.

"You think it'll be ok to leave Sadie here for today?" Terra looked down at the dog, who wagged her tail hopefully at her master.

"Of course!" Chita said, as Flicka flitted around them at top speed.

"We can make sure she's good and taken care of while you two are off having fun!" Flicka assented without hesitation.

"Thanks a lot, sweetie." Kaelea smiled at her pixie, who smiled just as broadly back, and the two fairies went into the hall, to join their friends.

* * *

><p>"As the faith in magic is restored on Earth, the power of the Winx, and Terra only increases." Frowned Ogron, pacing back and forth, deep in the Gloomy Wood forest outside the borders of Alfea school. "So far, I don't think Terra realizes that the belief of magic on her world affects her own powers, apart from the Believix Fairies."<p>

"When Dumon reports back to us, we should go back to the Earth. Even if Terra is by chance on her own today, it wouldn't make any difference. The Winx would only show up and get in our way, like they've done each and every time we've gone after her." Anagan snarled, impatiently kicking a random rock as hard as he could.

As if on cue, a black bird seemed to fly out of nowhere into their midst. Ogron, Anagan, and Gantlos stood up.

"Well?" Ogron asked.

"The girl is on the move, but she's surrounded by Specialists on all sides. We've seen how their weapons are virtually immune to our magic, Ogron." Dumon frowned as he reverted back to his human form.

"How many are around her?" Ogron said, a furrowed brow of deep thought on his face.

"There are two circles... one consists of six Junior Specialists, and they are constantly being followed by those who accompany the Winx, and that sorcerer Nabu." Answered Dumon.

"With that much protection, even we won't be able to get near her without sustaining substantial damage first." Anagan sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"No, there has to be a way around them..." Gantlos snarled. "We've been able to get close twice to Terra and nearly drain her of her magic and wings before, we can do it again."

"Gantlos is right. But this time, we have to take a different tactic." Ogron had come to a conclusion as he listened to the other three talking about how their mission was going. "We only have one little fledgling fairy left to exterminate before all magic is gone from the Earth, and we are the supreme rulers of it."

"Ogron, you have some kind of plan?" Blinked Anagan.

"Indeed I do, boys... It'll take a bit of work, but we can do it. What we need to do is draw Terra away from Alfea. Away from her friends. In the meantime, we'll be completely wrecking every bit of belief of magic the Winx have worked on in Gardenia's populace. Once we've lured Terra back to her beloved home world, we recover the last of the White Circles before we take her and the Winx on one last time." Ogron said, clenching his hand in to a fist.

"The White Circle? The last Circle that we were never able to locate after that Queen Morgana hid it?" Dawning comprehension crossed Dumon's face.

"Indeed." Sneered Ogron in response.

"But how are we going to find it, _and _destroy human belief in magic, then obliterate Terra all at the same time?" Gantlos seemed to find a problem with Ogron's logic and lack of planning.

"Simple... luring the Winx and Terra back to Gardenia will be the first step in our plans. Once the Fairies learn of the White Circle, I'm sure that they too will seek it out. And when they locate it, we'll swoop in and grab it before they have the chance to harness its powers!" Ogron declared. "Even if there's the chance that it can unlock the Fairies in Tir Nan Og, I doubt they will pose much of a threat to us with human's faith in magic non-existent once more."

"Right. Because you remember how the Fairy Queen Morgana used her powers to seal away the White Circle, in order to ensure the survival of her kingdom even after we finished with the Earth Fairies, and banished Tir Nan Og..." Anagan recalled, clearly remembering their last unfinished business with the Earth the previous time they attempted to exterminate the Earth Fairies.

"But this time, with the whole population of the Earth Fairies out of our way, we won't have to go through all that trouble. We'll just need to let the Winx do the work for us." Gantlos finally understood what Ogron was planning on achieving in order to eradicate Terra from all living memory.

"Exactly, my friend. Exactly." Laughed Ogron. "Let's go wreck some havoc." He announced, before he raised his right hand, and their mode of transportation appeared in the skies behind him to suck them away back to Gardenia.

* * *

><p>"All right! Time to wreck some havoc in the city!" Marcie exclaimed as they reached the main street of Magix.<p>

"Not to mention hang out with some cute boys from Red Fountain." Astraia added as a group of six boys approached them from a nearby restaurant.

"Oooh, Terra, it's that boy you met before." Kaelea nudged her friend in the side, causing Terra to blush.

"Uh... Hi Cain, who're these friends you brought with you?" Terra asked with a nervous wave hello.

"The other members of my regular group, when I'm not with King Sky and his team." Cain looked back.

Apart from Cain, there were five others in this group of boys.

"This is Aaron, my room mate." He said, turning to an apparently lazy-looking young man, with middle-of-the-back-length black hair, that had deep red streaks in it. He also wore square glasses, that had a matching red frame on the bottom which perfectly complimented his deep red eyes. Apart from wearing the Specialists' uniform still, even on his day off, he seemed to be the exact opposite of Cain who'd always- at least in Terra's point of view- looked to be hard working and well kept compared to Arron.

"Nice to meet you ladies." Arron said with a nod.

"This is Ektor, our senior member of this group." Cain indicated the Specialist with short, deep brown hair that was almost black, with matching deep brown eyes.

"Hey." The young man waved, looking considerably more casual.

"Galen," Cain looked at the boy next to Ektor, who's hairstyle reminded Terra of the hawk-mullet that some kids on Earth liked to wear, even with his silver hair, it was still a bit of a shock compared to his companions. His baby-blue eyes were the first thing one noticed when looking at Galen, then it was the hair.

"Yo." Galen said.

"Prince Kreon," Cain nodded towards one of the tallest of his group, with slightly pointed ears, dark brown skin, amber eyes, and shoulder-length jet black hair held back in a pony-tail. He was certainly no King Sky, but rather more relaxed and easy going.

"A pleasure to meet you ladies, and especially you, Terra... Cain has told us so much about you already." The Prince bowed to the fairies, who blushed.

"Really? What kind of stuff...?" Terra asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad!" Laughed Kreon. "No need to worry!"

"Ahem..." Cain quickly regained control of the conversation. "And last but not least, is Leon."

Leon, with his shock of deep, carrot orange, wildly spiky hair and deep, ocean blue eyes smiled kindly and politely at the young Fairies with a simple nod.

"Let's get going shall we? The day is young, and so are we!" Liona exclaimed.

"Where do we go first? I've never been to Magix before." Terra said, looking around at all the hovercraft, and the varying creatures and beings mulling about their daily routine as though their city wasn't anything all too special.

"Let's go to the mall first, then we can split up." Astraia said, checking her watch on her left wrist.

"Lets see..." Ion pulled out her own mini-laptop from her green bag. "If we get to the mall now, and spend half an hour to an hour in all the main departments, we should still have enough time to visit the dance club after dinner, and make it back to Alfea before curfew."

"Then let's get to it. I wanna get a new record from the music store that will help me focus on my homework at school." Kreon started leading the way for the group.

* * *

><p>Two witches from Cloud Tower had just come out of the clothing shop when a large group of Freshman Fairies strode by with an equally large group of Specialist boys from Red Fountain. The two witches, while nothing like the Trix, had their own reputation at the school since the Trix were expelled. Known as the Twitches, because they were indeed twin sisters who were witches, they were Sophmores and quite infamous as troublemakers at Cloud Tower.<p>

The witch on the left had jet black hair with a hawk-tail style ends. Her outfit was dark purple and black, with sleeves that cut off at the shoulders, a black bust around her middle, and a lacy black and purple mini skirt. Her shoes were long boots that cut off just above the ankles with silver fastenings at the top and ankle. She carried a purse, and a bag of what was known to the witches as 'Dark Candy', munching on a piece of Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate taffy as they walked around the shopping mall of Magix.

Her sister, on the other hand, preferred dyed hair of hot magenta that faded into purple towards the ends, which was held up in a side pony tail to her right. She wore a black laced sleeveless shirt with a purple undershirt, since the top layer was semi-transparent. Around her wrists was a pair of gloves that cut off at the tips of her fingers, with a silver watch around her right wrist. Her pants were black leather with chain-links hanging from the belt at her waist, and her boots were high heeled dragon skin.

"Well well well, what have we got here? Some freshman Fairies from Alfea!" Smirked the black haired twin.

"Adena, looks like we'll have to introduce ourselves. Doesn't it?" The other imitated the smirk.

"Indeed it does, Delta. Indeed it does..." The smirk of the twin in charge turned into a sneer.

* * *

><p>Unaware that their excursion into the mall had attracted attention already, the girls and their friends quickly split up into groups, with Terra and Astraia heading into the clothing departments, Ion and Kaelea to the Technology stores, and Liona and Marcie going to the sporting goods and book shops. Cain and Kreon decided to wait outside the clothing stores instead of braving it, while Ector and Arron were with Kaelea and Ion, and finally Galen and Leon accompanied Liona and Marcie. At least they didn't have to go near the clothing stores, was the general consent between the two young men.<p>

Terra and Astraia were having fun trying on all kinds of dresses and outfits on the holographic image projector, walking up they would try on outfits for rockstars, princesses, and fantasy wedding gowns.

Just a few hours into their fun, Terra suddenly experienced a searing headache, which caused her to sway on the spot before she reached the mirror to look at the jewelry she was trying on.

"Terra, what's wrong?" Astraia said, noticing right away that something wasn't right with her friend.

"It's a really bad headache... I've never had one this bad before." She said, bringing a hand to her head as her knees buckled.

"Ooh... Maybe you've been shopping too long without refreshments? I've had lack-of-liquid headaches before. They are nasty when you're just a beginner marathon shopper." Astraia said, helping her friend take off the jewelry, then with a wave of her hand she sent their bags of already purchased goods back to their dormitories at Alfea. "C'mon, I'll have you sit with Cain and Kreon while I go get you a power-packed smoothie from the juice bar."

"Thanks..." Terra was breathing as though she'd been running by the time Astraia helped her to the bench, where Cain and Kreon saw that she was not herself from just hours ago.

"What's going on?" Asked Cain quietly so as to not make a scene.

"She's got a really bad headache. I'm gonna go get her a smoothie to see if it'll help." And with that note, Astraia was off as Cain helped Terra sit down on the bench without falling over.

Terra's migraine was getting worse as she now had both hands on either side of her head, trying to block out all the noise. She could feel hands on her shoulders and hear Cain and Kreon attempting to get her to talk to them, asking her what was really causing the headache. As Terra closed her eyes, she could see images being played out in her head like a faded movie projector. Ogron, Anagan, Dumon and Gantlos were all back on Earth. And they weren't there for an outing like she was in Magix. She could see Gardenia falling apart whether at the hands of earthquakes, or sonic blasts created by Anagan and Gantlos, or by Ogron's attacks directed right at the humans to terrify and weaken their faith in the Winx and magic in general.

"It-It's Gardenia! Gardenia's in danger! The wizards are trying to destroy it!" Terra stood up abruptly just as Astraia came back with a smoothie. "I don't know how I'm able to see it, but we need to let the Winx know right away!"

"What?" Blinked Astraia, dumbfounded.

"Gardenia, my home town, is being attacked by the Wizards of the Black Circle. I need to call Bloom and tell her right away." Terra said, pulling out her cell phone and dashing off away from Astraia, Cain and Kreon, who all stared at each other at a total loss.

Bloom had been in the middle of working on a new project for Love and Pet with her friends when her cellphone rang.

"It's Terra?" She blinked, before answering.

"BLOOM!" Terra shrieked over the phone, causing Bloom to wince at the noise. "I was in the middle of shopping in Magix, and I started getting a really bad migraine. Then I saw the Wizards! They've gone back to Gardenia, and they're destroying it!"

"Calm down, Terra! Are you sure you know what you saw is real and not just from being home sick?" Bloom asked trying to calm down her young friend.

"Please Bloom, you've gotta believe me. Call whoever is on Earth and find out for yourself! I know it was real, I just know it! Gardenia is in trouble!" Terra was practically close to tears as she said this. "If I'd known the Wizards were gonna go that far as to attack my home town, and everyone I love in it... Oh... I never would've left!"

"Terra's telling the truth Bloom, I'm picking up major seismic and sonic activities at Gardenia's epicenter, and it's getting stronger by the minute." Tecna said, already checking on her computer since the sure signs of the wizards presence could now be detected with her technology.

"Then we'd better get going." Aisha set down what she was working on at once.

"Ok. Terra, I want you to stay with your friends. You're safest with them right now, and we'll let you know as soon as we can once we've gotten a better handle on the situation back on Earth, ok?" Bloom said in her most encouraging voice. "Don't worry about a thing. It'll be ok."

There was a little whimper from Terra.

"Terra?" Bloom pressed.

"Ok." She replied finally.

"Good. I'll talk to you again as soon as I can." And Bloom hung up. "Let's go Winx... Magic Winx- Believix!"

Terra didn't have any problems seeing what was happening, as she leaned back in her bench, her eyes closed, in her minds' eyes she could clearly visualize Gardenia, and the Wizards of the Black Circle unleashing a terrible, terrifying attack on the city as well as its innocent civilians who had nothing to do with her. The sonic blasts from Gantlos' hands and feet sent several buildings collapsing, or created large holes on the streets. Anagan raced along the streets of the city, stealing anything he could reach before tossing it at Gantlos who would in turn destroy the objects with his own powers. At the exact time as Gantlos and Anagan's little reign of terror, Dumon had transformed into a terrible black dog once more, sending the animals in the city running in blind terror, or injuring innocent passerby who had no idea what was going on.

* * *

><p>Gantlos put himself atop of one of the taller buildings in the city, using his power to turn the skies black, summoning a frightening lightning storm which caused farther damage when several blasts of lightning cracked right onto the main power sources of surrounding neighborhoods, watching with a smirk on his face as entire blocks went black seconds after the explosions.<p>

"On no... Looks like Terra was right this time." Stella looked around at the once beautiful city as their Zoomix wings were replaced by their Believix sets. She had truly hoped that Terra was just having some extreme symptoms of homeskickness.

"C'mon, we've gotta find the wizards before they do anymore destruction." Bloom stated, flying ahead as a flash of lightning showed them the extent of the damage to Gardenia.

"There!" Musa pointed, spotting Anagan and Gantlose in the streets now abandoned by most of the civilians.

"But where are Ogron and Dumon?" Aisha looked around quickly before spotting Ogron.

"He's there!" Flora called before Aisha got the chance to.

"Quick, Aisha, Flora, come with me. Musa, Techna, Stella, you go take on Anagan and Gantlos. We'll handle Ogron and Dumon, wherever he is." Bloom stated, and without question, the Winx split up into their groups, so soon it would be three against two on each team.

As Stella's group flew overhead, nearing the area of town Gantlos and Anagan were having their rather destructive bout of 'fun', Musa looked around when she heard people saying that the Winx were back.

* * *

><p>At the moment the Winx girls split up, Terra's mind seemed to be pulled out of the conflict on Earth back to her own reality in the mall at Magix. She felt as though her spirit had left her body, hovering around her friends as they moved to fight the Wizards who sought her utter destruction. Only to feel herself falling back, at top speed, into her body.<p>

_Terra, you must not focus on the battles right now. _Came Queen Morgana's guiding voice once more into her thoughts.

_ But my home town is in danger, Queen! My Dad lives there, and I want to know what's going on! _Terra complained outright, as though a daughter would to her mother.

_No. What is important now is that you stay with your friends. Stay safe, and stay out of trouble, Terra. Let the Winx do their job without interference._ And this time, it was as though a mother were chastising her child.

_But... _Terra wanted to watch what happened to her friends and teachers, but knew when she was defeated. Queen Morgana had somehow sensed Terra's entrancement in the Winx and their battle back on Earth, having been the source of conflict for so long, however now that she was dimensions away, she knew she would only be getting in the way. It was a hard pill to swallow. Though she knew when she was defeated on an issue. It was a similar tactic her father would often use on her when she was still a child. _Fine. _She made it clear that she was not thrilled, but the Queen Morgana, Queen of the Earth Fairies was her ruler, if all the facts she'd learned about her were true, and she knew she had to do as the Queen desired now that she'd awakened as a Fairy.

At this thought, Terra swore she heard Morgana chuckle before responding. _Do not fear, young Fairy. Soon, your powers will grow as the belief in Fairies on Earth grows. And then, you'll be able to fight alongside your friends, even hold your own against any foe. The greatest deed you can do for the Winx is to continue to have faith in them and the world you have stepped into... _

With that, Morgana's voice seemed to fade away, like a cell phone connection being cut.

"I think she's coming around."

"That was freaky."

"You think she'll be all right?"

"Quiet down guys, or she'll have our heads." Came a male's voice as Terra's eyes and brain adjusted.

There they were, all of her friends staring at her. They were still in the mall shopping center, she could hear the noise. But they must be in a lobby or something.

"W-where are we?" Stammered Terra, rubbing her eyes.

"In the employee lounge. The Mall's manager came out after hearing you collapsed, and said we could come here until you're ok." Astraia explained with a shrug and flip of her golden hair.

"How long was I out?" Terra looked around, seeing it was still daylight.

"Just a half hour or so. Not very long. But you were muttering the whole time. Have another vision?" Asked Ion.

"Yeah. The Winx should be fighting those Wizards right about now if what I was seeing was true. But then... Morgana snapped me away, or back... however you put it." Terra shook her head as Kaelea brought her a Magix soda to refresh her. She took a grateful, deep gulp of the soda before standing up.

"You know what I think? Astraia started. "I think we all need a distraction. Let's get some Solarian Pizza from the food court, then head over to the dance joint."

"Astraia, I don't think Terra needs pizza and a dance-off right now-" Kaelea began to protest, but Terra cut across her.

"Actually, I think that's a great idea. Let's do it." Terra said as she finished the last of her soda before tossing the empty container in the recycle bin.

"Ah, I see the young fairy is wide awake!" An unfamiliar voice said, approaching the rather large group.

They turned around to see the tall, large man with pointed ears and amber eyes hurrying to greet them.

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Manager." Smiled a grateful Terra.

"Not at all, not at all, m'ladies - and gents." He added to the six young men who accompanied them.

"We were just going to be getting some Solarian Pizza from the food court, then heading out. But we do appreciate your letting us come here while she was out of it." Liona said.

"Then I shall alert the shop owner while you make your way down. I want ya'll to have the best! Especially when your group includes the Duchess of Solaria." The man bowed.

"Well, now this is the kind of treatment I'm used to." Astraia smiled graciously, as the man left while Terra, Kaelea, Liona and Ion all exchanged exasperated expressions and the six Specialists remained politely oblivious to Astraia's current uplifted attitude at being recognized for who she was.

* * *

><p>Nearby, Delta and her sister Adena watched the rather large group as they finally emerged from the employee lounge area half an hour after seeing the brown haired Specialist boy carrying the passed out freshman fairy, surrounded by their friends.<p>

"Looks like they're all accounted for. Should we attack now?" Delta asked rather eagerly, excited to pick on the freshman fairies even though their day had already been wrecked by the black haired girls' fainting spell.

"Hmm... Let's lull them into a sense of security first, then strike as they're leaving. We'll keep a good space between us so they won't suspect, though." Adena was rather thoughtful as to how she wanted this to play out, while letting the group of freshmen fairies and their specialist companions get in line, then several other people get behind them before getting in line.

* * *

><p>After ordering their pizzas- Terra bought the equvalent of ham and pineapple since there wasn't any such type at the Solarian Pizza shop in the mall- and found a large group of tables, moved them together, they sat down to gab.<p>

"You know what I like about this particular place? Everything is made fresh to order, even the dough!" Astraia commented, sipping from her cup of iced tea.

* * *

><p>Back in Gardenia, Bloom, Aisha and Flora were facing off with Ogron high in the towers of the city.<p>

"Three against one hardly seems fair, ladies." He said with a rather sardonic tone in his voice. He stood facing the three Winx girls, his hands slacked to his side as Aisha sent a wave of Morphix attacks at him. He dodged most, but was struck by a few towards the end.

"Like you should talk, about being fair, Ogron!" Snarled Aisha. "Attacking Terra while she was in the Pixie Village still unable to transform? That was low!"

Ogron chose not to reply, instead, he glanced down, seeing a small family just as Bloom sent a Dragon Fire attack at him. He obsorbed the Believix magic with his right hand before sending it not back at Bloom as he normally would, but down at the family that was trying to flee the battle zone.

"Morphix Wall!" Aisha shouted, creating a pink barrier between the family and the dragon fire attack as the family froze and huddled together, the husband standing between his wife and daughter.

"Golden Ivy!" Flora called out, to create an extra barrier between any attacks from Ogron or the other Wizards. "Hurry!" She added to the family, and the husband thanked Flora before helping his wife and daughter to their feet, and running away from the battle while Flora made sure the Golden Ivy kept a safe passage open for them.

"The good fairies are protecting us, Daddy, mommy!" The little girl said. "See? Those bad men are getting beaten!"

"You're right hon, the good fairies made sure we could get out all right when the bad men tried attacking us." Nodded the mother once they were safely away.

* * *

><p>As the group was leaving the mall, Terra felt a strange upsurge in her body, feeling stronger than she had since before their pizza party. She stopped for a moment, feeling like she had just walked through a refreshing water fall in an oasis. Whatever the Winx were doing, it was very effective.<p>

"Terry?" Blinked Liona, then the others looked at her too as though worried she'd pass out again.

"Erm..." Terra was rather embarrassed, but was saved the trouble of having to answer by a pair of witches that blocked their way to the streets of Magix.

"Well, what do we have here Delta?" Asked Adena with a cocky smirk.

"Looks like a bunch of freshmen fairies from Alfea College is what it looks like, Adena." Delta returned the smirk. "Why don't we teach them a lesson about what it means to step into Cloud Tower Witch territory?"

"Excuse me?" Astraia was the first to step forward, having had a run in with Cloud Tower witches before.

"You heard us, this mall and this city belongs to us since the Trix abandoned it." Delta waved her hand.

"That's rich, considering if that were the case we wouldn't be here, goth girls." Terra wasn't going to stand for bullying as the Specialist boys watched with mild interest. They knew very well things weren't that great between fairies and witches.

"Is that the best you can do, fairy reject?" Snapped Delta.

"Oh no, there's a whole slew of things I could call you, coming from Earth. But they wouldn't be appropriate for me to use. Because I, unlike you, know a thing or to about manners and being civil."

Something about Terra's sentence seemed to get to Delta, because she apparently decided not to waste anymore time talking.

"Civil huh? I'll show you civil!" Next thing the girls knew, Delta was hovering in the air. From her hands burst forth a black fire, which shot right at the girls, who dodged or jumped out of the way before Marcie took the stand.

"You know that messing with fire can get yourselves burned right?" Asked Marcie.

Terra, who was on the ground with her face on the cement, looked up. "Well, I wanted a destraction from what was going on back home..." She then rose to her feet. "C'mon girls, let's transform!"

"Right!" The other fairies nodded before getting into their stances.

"Let's go, Magic Winx!" The six young fairies called out to the disbelief of the two witches.

"These freshmen can already transform?" Asked Adena in outrage rather than shock or surprise.

"What's with this generation?" Snarled Delta as the fairies were engulfed in a rainbow of light.

"Didn't you get the memo, witches?" Asked Liona as they reemerged in their fairy forms.

"Those taught by the legendary Winx Club-" Ion continued the sentiment.

"Have already accessed their own Winx-" Marcie added her own bit.

"And in record time for fairies so new-" Astraia said.

"We have transformed-" Kaelea emerged as her own fairy once more.

"And learned how to use our powers well before any real combat missions ever began!" Terra finished the sentence, emerging once again she privately noticed, with the largest wings of her group. She felt powerful, more so than she ever could've hoped since that wave of energy flowed through her moments ago from Earth as more people there started believing in Fairies.

"When did you learn to transform?" Asked Cain in surprise, blinking at Terra. The last time he saw her, she was still unable to do so.

"Back in the simulation room at Alfea. But that's a story best saved for later, Cain. Right now, we need to get rid of these witches!" She flew up to be at eye level with Delta who was still hovering without wings above them all while her friend Adena stood on the ground.

"Nothing like an over confident freshman fairy to take down a peg." Smirked Adena at the group who still remained on the ground.

"First, I'm going to take care of your little black fire attack here." Marcie flew over the areas that were still burning as people evacuated or ran from it. "Chilling Waves!" She called out, and water seemed to flow from her hands like a river over the black fire, effectively putting it out.

"You think you've got a good counter for Delta's black fire? Well... try and combat THIS! Pillar of Black Lightning...!" Shouted Adena, who was engulfed in what looked like regular lightning that emanated from her body, but was pure black. Then, the lightning was concentrated into her arms, and at last her hands. From which shot the lightning at all of the fairies who were still grounded.

The only fairy who didn't move was Liona, who brought her own hands up as though she was going to redirect the lightning, but instead she summoned forth a wall.

"Shiled of diamonds!" She shouted, and indeed, a shield of the most precious stone found on Earth generated around her, blocking and dissipating the black lightning.

"You can make your own Diamonds?" Astraia commented, getting distracted. "Now THAT is talent!"

"I can also do THIS... Daggers of Quarts!" Liona called out once more, having been nervous how her friends would react to her powers as a rain of rather sharp arrow heads made from quarts crystals formed above Adena, then shot towards her.

Adena dodged this attack by taking to the air while her friend Delta who faced Terra was preparing another black fire attack.

"My attack magic may still be weak, but I DO know one spell the Winx taught me..." Terra said quietly, bringing up her own hands. The Winx were still completely unaware that while they fought the Wizards of the Black Circle on Earth, Terra and her friends were facing two witches from Cloud Tower.

"Guys, I think I know what Terra's gonna be doing! Let's give her a chance to power up!" Kaelea shouted, seeing the violet aura around Terra's body and fluttering wings.

"I'm on it!" Marcie said the moment she was done putting out the first round of black fire.

"And I am too." Kaelea flew up beside Marcie, both in front of Terra.

"Thanks girls!" Terra was grateful to her friends as they blocked, and countered Delta's black fire attack. From the first time she used this spell the Winx were teaching her class, Terra felt so much stronger and in control. The wave of energy and power that went through her body moments ago seemed to act as a charger boost for her, as her energy levels raised much quicker than she could recall. Bringing up her hands, she focussed, the violet aura forming into a volleyball sized orb in her palms, she flew upwards above her friends. "I may not be as experienced as any of my friends, but you witches are about to learn what it means to mess with people I care about!" She called out while shooting the energy blast at the witches below and Kaelea and Marcie ducked out of the way, remembering quite well the results of the last few times she used that particular spell...

* * *

><p>Ogron fell to the ground at a double attack from Bloom and Aisha, who both gave looks of triumph as their own powers were getting that much stronger thanks to the fact that the small family believed in them. There was a flash of speed and Anagan was next to his leader.<p>

"So, you fairies think you can take us on like this?" Anagan raised a hand at the apparent weakest of the trio, Flora.

"No... Not today, Anagan." Ogron panted, slowly rising to his feet. "They've gotten stronger, those Winx. If they can knock me down..."

"Right..." Anagan glanced over at the fairies, who were hovering over them like hawks as the Wizards reunited, Dumon flying in after having taken the form of a giant, black hawk the size of a golden eagle. Gantlos sent a sonic wave attack at the trio of fairies he'd been fighting, but he was pushed back by Musa's own Sonic Boom Box.

"The moment those people believed the Winx, the Winx got stronger." Gantlos stared up at the sky, the dark black clouds fading to varying shades of grey.

"Not good." Mumbled Dumon.

"Our job here is done for now, though. Let's draw back, and plan our next move." Ogron commented.

"The White Circle..." Anagan purposefully mentioned what they were looking for.

"Indeed." Ogron nodded, knowing exactly what Anagan had done the moment he spoke. "Enjoy your respite, Winx. It won't last long!" He called as the six fairies rejoined each other in the air.

"Ogron!" Aisa shouted as the Wizards vanished.

Bloom was blinking at something Anagan said, about a White Circle.

"What did Anagan mean by White Circle? Is that something else they're planning?" Asked Bloom, as Stella shrugged. Apparently just as confused as she was.

"I dunno, but we'd better head back to Alfea to make sure Terra is ok." Flora commented.

"Right." Nodded Bloom.

* * *

><p>Terra had never felt better, after sending the two witches running from Magix with the help of her friends. Then going with everyone to the dance hall for a few hours before curfew. If anything, fighting the two witches had been one heck of an adrenaline rush for the young fairy. She was almost sad to see the Specialists leaving, going back to Red Fountain after their afternoon in Magix was over with.<p>

"Bye!" The young fairies waved at the last of the young men before the door hissed shut and the bus flew away.

"Wow, what a day!" Terra said when she sat down in their bus.

"Yeah, but at least we didn't let those witches ruin it completely." Astraia grinned. "We've got some new fashions to show off at school-"

"Not to mention new toys-" Ion said eagerly, already tinkering with a new cell-phone-like device she bought.

When their bus pulled up to Alfea, Astraia stopped in her footsteps upon exiting, causing the other five of her friends to bump into her and ultimately crash in a dog-pile on the ground with her on the bottom just as the bus was leaving.

"Astraia, what is it?" Asked a rather indignant Liona.

"Um... look at the gate." Since Astraia couldn't point, due to being pinned unexpectedly to the ground, all she could do was tell them what stopped her in her tracks.

It was the Winx, their teachers, and Miss Griselda.

Terra- in the middle of the dog pile- gave a little gasp of terror. This was a more frightening welcome than the two witches in Magix City.

"Welcome back ladies. We hear there was trouble during your outing." Griselda adjusted her eyeglasses as Kaelea and Ion helped Terra and Astraia to their feet.

"Um... hello ma'am." Marcie stepped forward when none of her friends seemed able to find the words to explain what happened. "I hope we're not in trouble?"

"Hmm... we'll see. I've informed your teachers what the security at the entrance of the shopping mall showed us, as well as the owner of the place told us. Ms. Faragonda would like a word with Miss Dediere. And then the rest of you." Griselda stated in her trademark, matter-of-fact way, like she'd rather just deal out the punishment now than go through all of this.

Terra gulped at being summoned by the Headmistress upon her return back to Alfea, and turned to Kaelea.

"Would you mind holding my things for me while I'm seeing the Headmistress?" She asked, holding up her shopping bag.

"Sure, Terri." Kaelea took the bag as they were led to Ms. Faragonda's office, the Winx- now in civilian clothes- in tow.

Upon reaching the door to the office, Ms. Griselda knocked then opened, allowing Terra and the Winx in but stopping Terra's friends when they looked like they wanted to follow.

"I'm sorry, but your turn will have to wait. This is a private affair, ladies." Griselda stated before closing the door in Astraia's face.

"Hmph." Snorted a very annoyed Astraia.

* * *

><p>Faragonda was standing in front of her window looking out at the castle grounds as Griselda, the Winx and Terra entered. She turned, framed by sunlight and warmth before walking back to her desk. When she looked up at Terra, she seemed unsure about something.<p>

"Well, Ms. Dediere, it seems you've had an interesting first visit into Magix City." She said. It wasn't a question. She knew what had happened from the reports she got from the owner of the mall and security guards.

"Erm..." Terra wasn't really sure where to go from this.

"Take a seat." Faragonda waved her hand at the chair in front of her desk. "I've been torn on whether I should punish you and your friends for causing so much trouble, or let it go since you weren't really the source of the trouble. However, I've decided on another route since it is clear that you still need to learn how to use your powers. And training will do just that."

"Ms. Faragonda...?" Blinked Terra, not sure where or how she came to this conclusion. Looking around briefly, she saw a crystal orb on Faragonda's desk, and guessed that must be one of the means she uses in order to keep in touch with everything that's going on with her students.

"According to the mall owner, you first passed out in a shop, then woke to call Bloom saying you'd seen the Wizards attacking Gardenia. And on your way out sometime later, you were attacked by two junior witches of Cloud Tower." Faragonda said, summing up the events of that day rather efficiently.

"Yes, but when I transformed, something was different. It was like... I was stronger than before. Like, what happened back home was affecting me in a positive way." Then she paused, because she realised she was reverting back to one of her old, southern Californian hippie-schoolgirl habits her father worked hard to break her from in the last year... saying 'like' throughout her sentences. She remembered the vision she had earlier that day. "Ms. Faragonda... I think... Would it be possible, if I trained more, worked harder to unlock my powers and such, would it be possible for me to make a solid mental connection to Queen Morgana?"

There was a surprised silence in the office.

"I don't see why not." Bloom was the first to finally speak. "I remember when I first learned about my true heritage as the last remaining Princess of Domino, the heart of magic in this dimension, it was after I unlocked my Fairy powers and started using them more." She said.

"I don't see why more training wouldn't help. After all, many fairies in this school go through three years or more of hard work before they are ready to face the universe. Each fairy, each world has their own set of rules, their own strange powers. If we plan this out properly, it may prove to be the benefit of us all." Nodded Faragonda.

"I have an idea for an obsticle course already, but I think in the meantime while it's being built, we should put Terra and her friends on a test of sorts." Techna said. Her mind had been busy the moment Faragonda suggested Terra needed more training to learn to use her powers as a fairy.

"Test?" Asked Terra, blinking.

"Yes. Bloom, you remember that field exersize Professor Paladian sent our class on in our first year here, into the Black Mud Swamp?" Techna said, looking over at Bloom as she asked.

"Of course. We had to go in and find our way through to figure out if we could hear the voice of nature. Without magic." Bloom added at the end of her sentence.

"Exactly. I think it would be a good idea for our girls to take part in that test, while we set up things for their training back here in Alfea." Techna said, just as matter-of-factly as Griselda would.

"But I thought the point of all this was for me to use my powers better? How will going into a muddy swamp where I can't use my powers do me any good right now?" Asked Terra.

"Because it will help teach you self control, sweetie." Flora smiled, understanding Terra's confusion. "Now that you have your powers, you need to learn that they can't be used to solve all your problems."

"Exactly my point." Nodded Techna, glad to see everyone was on the same page.

"Then it's settled, Ms. Dediere and her friends will begin training as soon as you're ready, ladies." Faragonda had been looking at each of the Fairies in her office when they spoke.

"There was something else, too, Ms. Faragonda..." Aisha cut in. "We overheard one of the wizards mention something about a White Circle?"

"The White Circle? This is curious indeed..." Faragonda's last part was more to herself than anything. "I think unless something happens during training, we should leave it be. It is something only Terra will be able to handle, but she is not ready for it yet."

Bloom stared at the Headmistress. This was just like when she was learning all about herself and her own identity. She had to wait a long time before all her questions were answered about her real parents, her sister, and her home planet of Domino. It had not been easy, to wait so long when she wanted to find out right then and there, but it was all worth it in the end. Perhaps this White Circle was going to be one of those things, something that only Terra could deal with when she could use her power properly.

"Don't worry Terra, we'll be with you every step of the way." She said, putting a comforting hand on the obviously nervous Terra. "I had to wait a long time too, to get all the answers I wanted about my birth parents, and my sister Daphne. But it will be worth it in the end, and by that time, like Ms. F says, you'll be strong enough and ready for it all."

"Ok." Nodded Terra after smiling up at her teacher's reassurances. They actually worked to help comfort her. Kind of.

"If this is all agreed upon, then I will let your friends in." Griselda stated, walking over to the door, and opening it up.

Kaelea and the others all looked in to see a nervous but content Terra sitting in the chair, striding in once Griselda told them it was ok to do so, and looked at the Headmistress.

"Is everything ok?" Asked Astraia, seeing her cousin who smiled at her, then looking at Griselda and Faragonda.

"Everything's just fine, Ms. Kalliope. I merely wanted you in here to know that beginning as soon as your teachers are ready, your training is going to start picking up. I want you all trained with Terra if you are going to be her companions throughout her schooling years. There will be many dangers in your lives, from here on out that you need to be ready for." Faragonda smiled warmly at them all.

"As if things haven't been dangerous enough already?" Mumbled Terra, to which Kaelea and Astraia giggled and Marcie smirked, while Liona and Ion glanced at each other.

A small grin crossed Faragonda's face in response, but she pressed on.

"You are all free to go. Just stay on your guard whenever you are outside Alfea castle from now on. I don't want any more reports from shop owners or building contractors that their business was wrecked because of Freshmen fairies fighting with the Witches of Cloud Tower." The Headmistress stood up.

It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or not, but the last statement was enough to lighten up the mood in her office a considerable amount.

As they left the office, Terra thought about what was behind her and what was ahead of her. This kind of training that was planned for her and her friends sounded difficult, to say the least. But she wouldn't shy away from a challenge back on Earth and she sure as heck wouldn't do that here where she was supposed to be doing all she could to become a true Fairy of Earth, and make her father proud. As she followed her friends who were gabbing away about the day's events when they parted from Bloom and the rest of the Winx, she knew she had a long road ahead of her.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

Good golly did this take forever. Mainly due to all the things happening in my life that were out of my control. Plus, I've been writing in my other fictions for a while too and finally got into a block with them before returning here.

You guys know one thing that frustrates me more than anything else? Is when I'm finishing a chapter, am about to hit the save button in my word processor, and the dang program crashes! It didn't save 2 ½ pages on here from my first draft of this chapter, so I had to restart from where I last saved. Talk about a nightmare! But at least on the bright side, my Mom gave me a peanut butter snickers bar when I told her that I lost 2-3 hours of my work in this story because the program crashed and I had to rewrite it all. So that's a nice little gesture!

On another note, I'm not sure if my Earth Fairy Chronicles followers are aware that I've moved. It was a big move too, halfway across Washington State, and that's no walk in the park. We still have stuff at our old house, but for now we're having to stay put because my dad's health is so unstable. But at least I have internet now, and cable T.V.! Yay for being connected to the world again! It drove me nuts for 2-3 weeks without internet/proper television to distract myself when I don't wanna write stuff, ya know?

Anyhow... I hope you guys like this chapter! I know it may be a bit confusing, but it was fun once I got into a good writing pace after chores and exersize for the day were all said and done. My mom has been nerding out over Downton Abbey the last few weeks, so it's making my writing time go by quicker without interruption ;)

As you guys know, I'm focussing this story more on Terra than Bloom. That is why I left much of the battle in Gardenia against the wizards up to the imaginations of my readers. Just a few of the major scenes that affected Terra directly were described in detail. But I figure that most of my readers who are at this point are well aware of the original Winx's fighting styles and so on that I don't have to go into detail about them too often. But if you guys think it messes up the story too much, let me know and I'll change that as well as I can. Though again, keep in mind that this is from Terra's point of view now more than Bloom and her friends, so the more experience Terra gains, and the stronger she and her friends get, then I'm going to be phasing Bloom and the Winx out of this story unless they are absolutely needed for some big emergency. My girls right now are just too inexperienced/green to be thrown into the fray just yet. Even the Winx had training, and so will the newest fairies at Alfea. Don't worry, I have a plot that's getting ready to be fired up here, that I think will make up for the long delay in this chapter.

On to the next!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Nightmare Wolves**

All the freshmen fairies, roughly a hundred total, were gathered in groups of five and six members at the borders of Black Mud Swamp with the Winx girls, Professor Paladian, and Ms. Griselda. Techna thought it was a good idea for the young girls to all experience this exersize of self control, than just Terra and her friends. All of the girls were wearing, in some form, the proper attire for 'swamp trotting', as a grumpy Astraia called it. With their hair up in braids, headbands or ponytails, the girls had listened nervously as Paladian and the Winx explained what this exersize was all about.

"Um... excuse me... I'm from an URBAN world." A different, blond girl with pigtails said.

"Which is exactly why this is a good opportunity for you to do this field exersize." Paladian smiled before sneezing. "And considering we have a unique fairy amongst yourselves, we are also going to be having some extra protection. Specialists have been placed at points all along the swamp, to jump in and help said fairy in case any of the Wizards of the Black Circle should attack. Not to mention, Ms. Griselda will be here waiting for each group to return and grade them upon their performance." He went on.

"Good luck, girls!" Bloom called.

"And remember, no magic! If anyone uses magic whatsoever once you get in to the swamp, we will know." Ms. Griselda stated before Paladian vanished in a flash of light. Then the Winx Fairies said their farewells before making their way back to Alfea.

"Well, let's go, no point in standing around here talking." Sighed a fairy in a different group. Slowly, the fairies went in their own way.

"Wow... this is just like when Dad and I would go hiking in the mountains every summer." Terra commented as they made their way in to the swamp via a trail to the north.

"You went hiking in muddy, icky trails?" Astraia shuddered at the thought of her friend, the last fairy on Earth, going hiking through discusting forests with no control over their environment due to a lack of magical influence.

"Yeah, me, Dad and Sadie. He knew all about the different kinds of animals in each forest, the plants and herbs... And Sadie was a great guard dog on the trail in case anything dangerous like a giant bear or something was a little too close for comfort. One time she spotted a rattlesnake right before we would be on top of it, and let us know." Smiled Terra with a strange sort of fondness.

"Sounds like Sadie would've been the perfect pet to bring along in this exersize." Liona said, not having a clue as to what bears or rattlesnakes were on Earth, but getting the hint that they were dangerous animals to be reckoned with.

"Oh yes! But Griselda would probably consider that cheating, bringing along a dog who's used to trails and such." Shrugged Terra as they walked along. "So she and Chita are keeping the other pixies company instead. I think our last outing into Magix helped the two of them bond this time around. What about you girls? Did you ever go hiking anywhere?" She asked, thinking it would only be fair to ask about them since they were curious about her.

"If you count rock climbing on Andros, then I've been out all the time during summer vacation." Liona said at once. "It was one of the ways I was able to learn all the rocks and minerals on my world, by being amongst them before I got my Winx."

"Really? How DID you get your Winx?" Asked a suddenly intrigued Ion.

"Well, one day last year I was rock climbing near the palace, when there was a rock slide. I was falling, and it would almost be certain death even though my mom could transform, she still wouldn't reach me quick enough. And in the intensity of the moment, I transformed." She shrugged, remembering the terror of the moment, falling without wings to pick her up as the rocks cascaded around her. Then all of the sudden, halfway down, there had been a flash of mulberry light with tints of orange, lilac and green that engulfed her. Even though she was an expert rock climber at a young age, the rock slide had caught her off guard. But that and the desire to be back with her mom again were what triggered her Magic Winx to activate at last. She smiled upon remembering her mother's astonishment to seeing her daughter flying back up in pure joy, being able to fly as a fairy at last. She told her mother after a long embrace that now the two could fly together. "What about you, Ion?" Liona turned the question back to her friend, whom all she knew came from the same world as Techna.

"Well, as you know, I come from a wired world. And I knew from the start that my life was going revolve around technology. But it didn't happen, me earning my Magic Winx that is, till two years ago. I was on a ship with my mom and dad, on my way back from a visit to Lymphea since they have cousins there, and was getting reconnected to my world when there was a problem with the ships' engines. The ship was going to either crash on our homeworld Zenith, or blow up in the atmosphere no matter what the pilots or engineers did. Just as it went from bad to worse mid flight, I transformed and figured out where the problem was, then fixed it with my new Winx." She said as the images flashed through her mind like she was watching something on television.

"What about you two, Astraia, Kaela? How did you get your Winx?" Asked Marcie, who was now curious about her friends' stories.

The two ladies looked at each other with something other than dislike for a change. It was uncertainty as they hiked through the trails in the Black Mud Swamp.

"Well..." Kaelea mumbled before speaking up, since Astraia for once wasn't one to start bragging about herself.

She was interrupted from what she was about to say by a sudden scream. In a flash of golden hair, Astraia had quite abrubtly sank into what appeared to be a quick sand trap.

"Get me out of here!" Astraia's arms flailed above the sand. She was already waist deep in the muck as she panicked.

Then, the quick sand trap seemed to expand as it absorbed Liona, Kaela and Marcie and their screams of shock and surprise filled the swamp.

"We can't use magic to get them out, we have to find another way before they are eaten up by that disgusting thing!" Kaelea was looking around frantically for something to use like a rope.

Terra looked at the trees and vines until a little bird with six transparent fluttering wings pointed her to a good, strong vine.

"Kaelea, Ion, help me out here!" She called as she started to yank on it. The other two saw what she was doing and dashed over to get a good length on the vine for their friends. "Just stay calm, the more you freak out, the faster you'll sink."

The four girls took deep breaths to calm themselves and soon stopped their descent.

"Here, grab hold of this-" Ion said as the three tossed the vine onto the top of the quick sand.

With help from Terra and Kaelea, Ion was able to pull their friends out of the quicksand trap. Dirty, drenched in sweat, and hair frazzled, the four young fairies complained about how it came out of nowhere.

"What was that mess?" Demanded Astraia, trying to shake the sand out of her golden hair.

"It's Trick Sand." Liona explained, still huffing and puffing. "It disguises itself as its surroundings, then when unsuspecting victims come by, BAM-" She made the others jump. "You see what happens." She looked back, watching as within seconds the sand pit returned back to it's original form of looking dangerously like its surroundings.

"Let's find a different way... I've got sand in places I didn't even know I had..." Complained Astraia, and for once the others agreed with her on something that wasn't about going to the mall or fashion.

"How about through here?" Liona pointed at another trail nearby. "I'm not sensing anything like that through this trail."

"How can you tell? I can't sense anything." Commented Ion.

"Well... it's more of a... feeling. Now that I've seen the Trick Sand, I know what it's like. Since sand is made of millions of particles of dirt and rock, I can sense it through my feet." Explained Liona.

"Huh... I don't get it, but it sounds neat." Shrugged Kaelea as they followed Liona into the new trail.

Sometime later, as the girls were walking through without incident, Terra smiled at hearing something the others couldn't.

"What?" Asked Kaelea.

"Can't you hear them? The voices of all the animals in the swamp!" She said.

'That would get confusing." Astraia shook her head in dismay.

"Not to me, I can understand each critter perfectly." Smiled Terra, looking around at an owl with six fluttery transparent, and sparkling wings who was staring her down. Her friends all looked at each other like they were crazy, but had no choice but to accept this part of her.

* * *

><p>In the dark, stormy shadows of Cloud Tower, Adena and Delta were stuck in their room. Having been punished thoroughly by Ms. Griffith, they were to not leave their rooms for a week after purposefully causing such destruction in Magix. After explaining they were only trying to do what they were taught, the Headmistress replied with a stern warning about knowing when and where to cause mayhem before sending them off to detention.<p>

"Ugh, I thought we'd NEVER get away from that horrid place." Griped Adena.

"That troll was hideous..." Shuddered Delta. "Let's talk about something else."

"How about getting even at those new freshman Winx girls?" Suggested Adena after a moment of thought, then a mischievous grin.

"Excellent idea, my friend. First we need to find out where they're at before deciding an appropriate course of action..." Delta walked over to the center rug in their dormitory and sat down cross legged, while her room-mate Adena joined her on her left side. What looked like a hovering mirror appeared in Delta's hands that rose in front of the two before enlarging to the size of a twenty four inch television screen, and the image of where their freshmen targets were at appeared.

"Oooh... Black Mud Swamp-" Adena's eyes narrowed in malice.

"Where their magic is limited, and our opportunities for revenge are limitless." Sneered Delta.

"I say we send some bad weather their way. No way they'll be able to use magic to change their situation, and swamps turn to all kinds of trouble in storms." Adena suggested.

"An excellent idea... I think I'll add one or two more touches to your suggestion though... Some black lightning, and the Nightmare Wolves that I command." Delta closed her eyes, before raising the palms of her hands to face the viewing portal, and Adena imitated her as they summoned their atmosphere changing spells.

* * *

><p>In the Black Mud Swamp, the six fairies were walking and now being led by Liona who helped keep them out of harms way on the ground levels when Astraia stopped.<p>

"Uh... guys, I think we should get under some shelter!" Astraia called as the wind started picking up. "A nasty storm is headed our way, and without magic I can't make it redirect itself."

"There's a cave over this way off the trail that we can hide in while the storm passes." Liona said calmly as their hair started blowing with the wind, and even Terra looked unnerved as the animals in the swamp started to panic, flying away towards their homes once more crying about something else that was headed their way, that wasn't a storm.

"Terra!" Liona called over the wind, seeing how distracted she was, and Terra blinked before following them off the trail, over many thick tree roots that randomly stuck out, avoiding poisonous bushes and plants, to reach the cave system that Liona indicated was empty and a perfect shelter from the storm just as deep, black clouds rolled in over the swamp.

"I hope our classmates are doing ok." Shivered Kaelea, rubbing her arms as a chill went through her.

"I'm sure they're fine. But I'm not sure if we will be... that's not a natural storm!" Astraia realized, standing at the entrance of the cave.

"Would the Wizards really attack us when we're defenseless without our magic?" Asked Kaelea.

As if in response, there was a particularly loud crack and boom of thunder that echoed across the black mud swamp.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the swamp, the Specialists had gathered for an emergency meeting with the sudden onslaught of the storm. Cain, Prince Kreon, Ektor, Galen and Leon were all standing underneath a rather thick swamp tree which protected them from the storm.<p>

"So, Leon, are your sensors picking anything up?" Asked Ektor.

"Nope. The Wizards aren't anywhere near the Black Mud Swamp. The source of the storm seems to be from Cloud Tower." Leon explained, after a few moments of typing on his mini hand-held computer.

"You don't think those two Witches would really try and sabotage the Winx and their training, do you?" Asked Galen, looking concerned in regards to the girls that were currently stuck in the cave at the other end of the swamp.

"Well, either way, we should make our way towards them just in case they decide to do more than just stir up the weather." Stated Cain. "I've got a bad feeling that this may not be all those witches are wanting to do."

So at once, from their pockets, the boys all pulled out their hover-discs, to zoom across the swamp to reach the six young fairies before things got too dangerous. It was, after all, their duty to ensure the safety of Terra and her friends while the original Winx were busy getting their obsticle course ready.

* * *

><p>"Man, this totally bites!" Frowned an impatient Kaelea.<p>

"What?" Blinked Ion, who was leaning against the wall of the cave.

"This whole situation. Being stuck in this disgusting cave, during an awesome storm." Kaelea directed her hands out the cave entrance where Astraia stood as though in a trance.

"This storm isn't awesome." Astraia said. "It's not natural... it's cursed."

"I know... I can feel it too." Nodded Terra. "All the animals are scared, frightened beyond belief here."

"Ugh..." Kaelea rolled her eyes rather impatiently, annoyed with them. While she wasn't a Weather Fairy like Astraia, or an Animal Fairy like Terra, Kaelea still had a certain fondness of thunder and lightning storms. Her home world was known to have some of the more unique and powerful storms in the magical dimension, and she grew up being more afraid of flying up too very high rather than lightning storms.

After what seemed like hours of waiting out the storm, there was a particular loud flash of lightning that struck nearby, and a sound that caught Terra's attention.

"What is it?" Blinked Liona, seeing the expression on her friend's face with some concern. The only time she'd ever seen that kind of a look was if the Wizards of the Black Circle were nearby or attacking.

"Sounds like something in the distance..." Terra stepped closer to the entrance of the cave to try and listen more to the strange sound. "It's almost like... Wolves... But they aren't like any wolves I've ever heard before."

There was then an earsplitting howl and grumbling from a nearby pack of wolves that caused all six of the young fairies to jump.

"Terra! Get back here!" Astraia and Kaelea pulled Terra back to their group, as Terra had been frozen to the spot, listening to the noises the wolves were making.

"I just have one question for you guys... Since I'm not native to the Magical Dimension... have you ever known wolves to dwell in a swamp before?" Terra asked.

"No. Even in the Magical Dimension, there are very few types of wolves that dwell in any form of swamp." It was clear that even Ion was terrified of being cornered in a cave by a pack of wolves in the middle of a cursed storm summoned up by either a pair of witches, or group of wizards. "And those that do, are usually not very friendly."

The group huddled together as the snarling and grumbling became louder. Something else they noticed, was the mist around the entrance of the cave became thicker as well. So thick, soon none of them could see beyond the first foot of the entrance.

"Terra, you're the fairy of animals... can't you understand them at all or tell these guys to go away?" Suggested a timid Liona as the first set of deep, blood red eyes could be seen through the thick mist.

With a tremulous gulp, Terra stepped forward a bit.

"Erm... Excuse me, but we'd appreciate it if you left us alone and found someone else to chase perhaps?" She said.

Or at least, to Terra, it sounded like it was in perfect English. To her friends, she too was now speaking Wolf-ish, and none of the other girls understood a word of what was being said.

There was a low snarling and snapping of teeth in response to Terra's request that caused her to jump and run back to her friends right away.

"So? What did they say?" Asked Astraia hopefully.

"Didn't you hear them just now?" Snapped Terra, too scared to realize that not everyone spoke animal.

"Not exactly... just a bunch of growling, snarling and gnashing of teeth." Ion answered.

"Oh... well... They said they're not leaving us alone until we're their...-" Terra swallowed mid sentence. "-dinner." She finished in a squeak of a voice. "I've never heard such vicious wolves before."

There were a few whimpers in the group of trapped fairies. Without their magic, they couldn't transform, and it wasn't like this was a direct attack from the Wizards of the Black Circle, otherwise the Specialists would already be here.

Liona was the one who stepped forward to defend her friends, who were frozen in fear. Grabbing several rocks from the walls of the cliff, she started throwing them in the direction of the eyes of the wolves that were now dancing around the group of young fairies as though merely deciding which girl to strike at first.

"Hey ugly, why don't you show yourselves instead of playing this stupid game of hide-and-seek?" Demanded Liona, readying another large, sharp rock as the wolves paused for a moment.

"Careful, Liona!" Whispered Kaelea as the shadows around the eyes began to take form.

When Liona saw the massive size of the black wolves, she backed up to the group again, the rock still in her hands.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Her voice trembled as the wolves were practically drooling at the sight of all the 'fresh meat' before them.

Right as the alpha male of the wolves jumped forward to attack Liona, and she and the girls yelled out, laser blasts from a Specialist Weapon was fired somewhere from above.

"Sorry we're late, ladies. This storm is a nightmare to get through!" Arron said as the Specialists all landed in between the fairies and the massive, black wolves.

"Thank heaven you're here! Without our magic, we can't properly fight them off." Ion exclaimed, before realizing what she was saying and blushing.

"The most logical thing we can do is split up into groups in the swamp and meet up at the exit." Leon said.

"Sounds good to me." Liona nodded, feeling more confident now as Galen and Prince Kreon were fending off the wolves with their laser swords, and laser guns.

Cain glanced over at Terra, who noticed a strange look in his eyes. Was it relief?

"Shall we?" Cain offered her his hand, since she couldn't fly on her own right now. She herself blushed slightly before taking his hand and jumping onto the hoverdisc. "Hold on," He added as her friends each jumped onto one of the other hoverdiscs operated by a specialist.

Kaelea was rather nervous about flying on one of these things, being an uneasy flyer as a Fairy naturally, this wasn't exactly her idea of a great way to get around. But seeing as she was outnumbered and overruled before even opening her mouth, she had no choice but to accept Prince Kreon's helping hand. Though she made sure her grip around his mid-section was strong enough she didn't have to worry about flying right off during an unexpected swerve or movement in general. Marcie jumped onto Leon's hoverdisc without hesitation, while Liona hopped on board Galen's as though she were born to do this. Ion was the last to mount onto Ector's hoverdisc, and the group was set.

"We know where to head to, right?" Asked Galen, looking at the others.

"Yep. The important thing is to loose these jerks, and get through the storm." Nodded Kreon, noting privately how nervous Kaelea actually seemed at the thought of flight once more.

"Then let's go!" Shouted Leon as though he were declaring war on the wolves, and the storm.

As though understanding what the humans were saying, the moment the men exclaimed at each other, the wolves leapt forward in a massive bound, claws slashing at the fairies' legs as the Specialists' hoverdiscs zipped around the beasts violent attacks, flying right into the thick mist and vanishing from view.

"Hang on!" Cain said to Terra, who's grip around his mid-section was already tight, as they flew through the thick swamp trees and mist. Without Leon and his technology to navigate through the dense surroundings, this was going to be a difficult escape.

Terra could hear the pounding of the wolves' huge paws on the ground just behind them, even if she couldn't see very far in any direction. At one point, a pair of nasty claws slashed through the mist, nearly catching her leg and pulling her off.

Instinctively, Cain wrapped a protective arm around Terra to make sure she wouldn't fall off while he maneuvered around a rather large swamp tree. It was in that moment that he got an idea, and instead of his laser bow and arrow, he withdrew his laser sword.

"What're you...?" Terra began, as they flew back around the tree. But her question was soon answered as the wolf came into sharp view, but Cain flew right at it, the sword slicing through the beast like butter. Instead of blood and guts, however, the beast vanished. Fading like it had been nothing more than an illusion created by their enemy.

Pausing in mid air for a moment, the two blinked at the spot where the wolf had been moments before.

"It wasn't even real?" Terra asked rather timidly.

"It was... But this isn't a good sign. It was a Nightmare Wolf... That's why it dissappeared." He explained. "I've only ever encountered them once before, and it didn't end well." He explained.

Terra suddenly minor scratch on her leg wasn't so minor, as a seering pain ripped through her leg and up her body.

"Terra?" Cain looked down when she leaned unexpectedly into him, and he saw why.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the forest, the Nightmare wolves were giving chase of the other fairies and specialists. The pack had split into two separate groups, of three in each according to the groups of the fairies. Astraia- holding onto Arron as he zig-zagged around massive trees, managed to keep an eye on the wolves following them.<p>

"To your right!" She called out.

From his belt around his waist, Arron pulled out what looked like a handle to a sword, but it was actually a glowing whip that he used, quite effectively against the wolves. Once the whip came out, Galen and Prince Kreon knew to give him plenty of space for whatever he had planned, since he'd been an expert energy-whip user from day one at Red Fountain.

"Hold on!" He called out, swerving around once more to avoid Astraia getting bit or scratched at by the wolves. As he swerved to face their persuers, the whip with a loud cracking noise wrapped around the neck of the nearest attacker with strength that surprised Astraia and impressed her, and the wolf he'd entangled with the whip went flying into his pack-mates which caused them all to disappear.

"Not bad, Arron!" Said Prince Kreon approvingly.

"You've been learning a lot from the Senior Specialists, haven't you?" Galen smirked as the three were now dismounting their hover-discs.

Kaelea looked like she couldn't have been happier to get off the hover-disc she'd been riding, looking a little woozy.

"You ok?" Asked a concerned Prince Kreon, noticing she looked rather pale.

"I'll be fine... It's just... flying around isn't my ideal form of transportation." Kaelea rubbed her stomach as she spoke.

"That's funny, you seem to do just fine as a Fairy." Liona commented, never having noticed her dislike of heights.

"That's because I never look down unless I have to." Replied Kaelea.

"Well, hopefully someday we can help you over come your fears. It's no good to be a fairy and be afraid of heights." Astraia flipped her hair imperiously.

"Maybe the obsticle course the Winx are setting up might help me?" Kaelea didn't look at all offended. She never knew exactly why she hated heights. She'd been just fine at the castle on her home planet, on the tallest towers where she learned she was a fairy.

"Come on guys, enough chit-chat, there's still lots of ground to cover, and we've gotta make sure our friends are all ok too." Arron stated, keeping his whip out just in case.

Closer towards the exit of the swamp were the rest of their group. Marcie was with Leon, riding on and holding on for dear life- not that she was afraid of heights, but she was more or less afraid of being struck down by the trio of rabid Nightmare Wolves that were chasing them.

"These Wolves are certainly tenatious!" Cried Ion.

"C'mon Leon, we've gotta gain heigher ground!" Ector called over a hunting howl from the lead wolf.

Leon nodded as Marcie adjusted her grip around his middle slightly, withdrawing from his belt what looked like a mini-bow and arrow, which expanded at once to full size into a glowing energy bow and arrow. While Ector withdrew two glowing ninja-throwing-stars. Together, with several shots from Leon's bow and a well-calculated aim from Ector's stars, the wolves vanished without anyone getting hurt.

"Nice! And we're almost out of here too!" Marcie pointed at the bright sunlight at the nearby exit of the swamp.

"We can just sit here and wait for the others in the meantime. That way we can all make sure to leave together just in case there's more trouble the moment we move." Ector stated, not trusting or liking this swamp one bit.

"That would certainly be the most logical thing to do. Back home we have a saying that when someone is lost or separated from their party, it's always best to stay put until they are able to back-track and find you again." Nodded Ion, finding a nearby tree stump to sit on for a break.

* * *

><p>"Come on, we gotta set you down." Cain said, finding a clear patch in the swamp. "Good thing I always carry first aid with me." He added as he helped Terra limp over to the spot he found.<p>

"Sorry about this..." Terra said, gritting her teeth as she sat down. The last time she had a scratch this bad was when she and her father were hiking in the moutains at California, and she fell over a slim cliff-side trail.

"No, I should apologize. I wasn't paying enough attention, I was focussing mainly on getting away." Cain commented as he put his sword away, then from his belt withdrew the first aid he mentioned.

It wasn't what Terra had in mind for a 'first aid kit'. She had in mind the boxes with red-cross 'x's on the front back on Earth. Obviously the Specialists were more experienced in dealing with injuries and survival. Instead, it looked like a mini hand held cell phone with a large screen in his left hand, and a different type of wrapping than she was used to.

"Here we go-" Cain said, fiddling with the machine he had out, and what appeared to be a ray of blue light came from one end of the device- which he then pointed right at the open wound. "-This might sting a little." He stated as the light moved across her leg, stopping the bleeding and vanishing at the front of her leg where the wound ended, then he set that down and unwrapped the bandaging.

"You know, you're pretty skilled for a guy from another world." Terra said without thinking as he wrapped up her leg. The wrapping seemed to clamp on around the wound from the Nightmare Wolf, and felt like it was sucking away something that seeped into her skin upon receiving the injury.

"What? Did you think all guys are mindless creatures who act on impulse and like explosions or something?" Asked Cain, well aware that not all men on Earth were honerable and trustworthy like her father.

"Erm... something like that? I just wasn't sure what to think of you or the other Specialists when we first met." Terra's face went a light shade of pink.

A small smirk crossed his face as Cain busied himself with finishing up with bandaging her injuries.

"I do know some healing spells, it would've made things much quicker-" She commented. "You wouldn't have had to trouble yourself so much if-"

"If it weren't for the fact that you're not allowed to use magic while you're still in the Black Mud Swamp." Cain finished the sentence for her. "There, that should do it." He put his equipment back in his belt, standing up. "You should be able to walk just fine now, we just need to take it easy for a bit."

"Oh yeah-" Terra remembered one of Griselda's rules about entering the swamp at his statement.

"Here-" He offered her his hand, which she took- while blushing still- and tested her leg's strength by tapping it on the ground a few times.

This seemed to disturb something on the ground, for moments after that just as they started to walk away, a creature emerged and started chattering away at them.

"Oh-I'm sorry!" She apologized to the dragon-gopher who was complaining about the noise during it's afternoon nap. "Didn't mean to bother you, little guy. We just needed a spot to rest a bit." She walked up to the creature she'd only ever seen in Paladian's classes.

The creature went on about not doing it again, before bolting off back into its hole, which she apparently disturbed.

"Nothing like being told off by something that's ten times smaller than you, is there?" Cain was grinning as Terra returned to his side.

"Yeah... it happens all the time back home when we get in a Squirrel's territory, or Chipmunks... but never thought it was just the same in Magix." Terra admitted.

* * *

><p>Ion and Marcie were having fun chatting with each other while they waited for their friends to come back. It was Kaela, Prince Kreon, Astraia and Arron who came out of the thick swamp first.<p>

"Hey guys!" Waved Astraia. "Glad to see you made it here ok."

"Where's Terra and Cain? They haven't made it out yet?" Asked Kaelea, looking around, noticing that there was still two people left that haven't made it back.

"Nope, but they should be here soon. Cain's pretty skilled at survival." Prince Kreon said, reassuring her.

It was just a couple minutes when they heard footsteps approaching, and sure enough it was Cain and Terra, who was moving a bit more tenderly than usual.

"Terra! You had us worried!" Astraia was the first to greet them when they joined the group, wrapping her friend in a giant hug.

"What took you so long?" Asked Kaelea, looking just as frantic.

"We had a little mishap with the wolves that were chasing us," Terra looked down at her bandaged leg. "But Cain patched it up just fine." She smiled over Astraia's rather strong grip at her neck.

"Come on, Astraia, let Terra breathe!" Liona pulled Astraia away.

"So, how'd it go for you guys?" Asked Ion.

"The Wolves were pretty easy to get rid of once they were cornered." Kreon explained.

"Yeah. For Nightmare Wolves. Whatever brought them into the forest, wasn't that strong to begin with. Even if Terra did get a nasty scratch, the poison didn't have time to really seep in." Nodded Cain.

* * *

><p>Adele and Delta were infuriated at how easily the Specialists got the Freshmen fairies out of danger, even out of their storm which still seethed over Black Mud Swamp.<p>

"Not strong enough he says?!" Shrieked Adena, "I'll show them strong enough!"

"Come on, girl... let's show them how strong this storm can really be!" Delta agreed, and the pair put their hands in front of the hovering viewing portal before them.

"Dark storm increase, dark storm destroy, dark storm flash!" They cried out in a chant as auras seemed to emanate from their very bodies.

* * *

><p>The group could feel the storm increasing quite suddenly, with the trees buckling in protest to the increasing wind, and even more flashes of violent, loud lightning struck around them.<p>

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Called Leon, noting they were only feet from getting out of Black Mud Swamp at last.

"Then I'll be able to give this storm a taste of my medicine!" Nodded Astraia, who's golden hair was blowing everywhere in this sudden, crazy weather just like her friends.

"C'mon-" Cain had to help Terra limp along the path as a tree leaned dangerously over in a blast of strong wind above her. He got her out of the way just in time as it toppled over.

Finally, the group was in the clear. They could see the other groups from their class looking on in fear as the storm raged in the swamp.

"That makes everybody!" Griselda's sharp eye caught them exiting the swamp as the storm seemed to peak. "We need to evactuate at once!"

"Hold on, Ms. Griselda, I can handle this!" Astraia said, planting her feet and clenching her fists. "Now that I'm out of that swamp, it doesn't matter if I transform or not! Come on, let's go Magic Winx!" Astraia cried out, becoming engulfed in the green and blue aura to the point she couldn't be seen any more, and when she reemerged, she was transformed in to her Winx fairy form once more.

* * *

><p>On the grounds at the school where the Winx were busy setting up the last of the obsticle course, Flora suddenly cried out as though she were in pain.<p>

"Flora, what is it?" Musa asked, grabbing her arm before she could have a chance to fall over.

"It-it's at the Black Mud Swamp! There's a major storm going on that's tearing it apart!" She pointed in the direction of the swamp.

"Wow, look at those clouds!" Aisha called out.

"Those aren't natural clouds, they were made by someone at Cloud Tower." Techna stated, already working on the source of the unnatural disturbance.

"Come on, let's go make sure everyone's ok in there!" Bloom said, preparing to transform.

* * *

><p>Astraia flew above the storm, well above the swamp at this point and looked at it. With a gulp, she raised her hands above her. A bright green aura made her glow like a becon above the dark, swirling storm.<p>

"Oh no you don't, you goody-goody!" Snarled Adena, gritting her teeth as black lightning shot not down at the ground, but at the fairy preparing for an attack on the storm.

Astraia let out a startled scream as the lightning began to flash so close to her, the very skin of her body tingled from the amount of electricity she could feel.

"Hold on, Astraia! We're coming!"

She heard Bloom's voice as Astraia was facing the unnatural storm by herself, while the other fairies who weren't as experienced in handling the weather phenomenons were either gasping in terror or cheering her on.

"Super Prism!" Techna called as they reached the young fairy.

"Morphix Shield!" Aisha added her own form of protection around Astraia as the lightning surged all around, striking a tree and starting a blaze in the swamp.

"Marcie, they need help!" Terra shouted over the roaring wind.

"I'm on it! Magic Winx!" Marcie cried, transforming into her fairy form as well, then flying up to join them as they fought the storm being fueld by the two witches back in Cloud Tower. She directed her hands to the flames as Bloom redirected the fire to be absorbed into her own powers.

"Fire catcher!" Bloom called out.

"Gentle Spring Rain!" Marcie summoned the needed water to make sure and drown the hotspots, and ensuring that no new fires would be started due to overly dry swamp foliage.

"Yes... it's working girls! I can feel it!" Flora said with relief.

"Astraia, now it's your turn! Do your thing, girl!" Stella called out as the shields protecting her younger cousin began to fade.

"Right! Vanishing Winds, cleansing waters, brilliant sun... drive this storm away from us back to its source!" Astraia was glowing with the green and blue aura so much it blasted back the lightning attacks. With a brilliant flash of light and energy, Astraia's power wrapped around the storm, creating a barrier between it and the rest of the world before sending it in the direction of Cloud Tower.

"Look! We KNEW it had to be from the witches!" Techna said, feeling quite pleased with their teamwork with the younger fairies as Flora flew over to help Marcie restore the swamp.

"Together with my powers over nature and your powers over water, we can make sure this swamp makes a full recovery from the attack." Flora said as Marcie agreed.

Down on the ground, Terra was closing her eyes, not only hearing the cheers and general congratulatory remarks from their classmates, but also the relief from the animals in the swamp that the potentially devastating storm didn't cause any more damage than it already did.

"Everyone, even the smallest creature are thanking you Winx!" Terra said with a blissful smile while the fog was vanishing.

"Now it's time for a little more sunlight-" Stella rose up higher into the skies, and before they knew it, the sun was blazing once more as though it were mid to late spring. "-To make sure those witches learn their lesson!"

* * *

><p>And at that same moment as the solar flare brightened everything up at the Black Mud Swamp exit, Delta and Adena were both blinded, the power of the Believix fairy and her friends was too much for even them to handle, and the viewing portal disappeared. The mirror clattered to the floor, almost breaking.<p>

"Ah!" Cried the two witches as the storm enveloped Cloud Tower in fog, torrential rain, and thunder and lightning.

"Those no good brats!" Cried out Delta.

"Not to mention those Specialists... How DARE they ruin our fun just when it was getting interesting!" Adena lamented the early end of their tormenting of the freshmen fairies in the swamp.

"We had them cornered and those boys ruined it." Huffed Delta in agreement.

"We'll have to pay them back, we'll have to pay them ALL back. This won't go unjustified!" Adena declared, and the two witches began laughing the kind of laugh that meant even more trouble was on the horizon as rain pummeled the glass pains of their dormitory windowsills.

* * *

><p>"Yes, yes, that's all very well done, however, we should be getting back now that we are all present and accounted for. You've all passed the exam!" Paladian's voice surprised them all as he reappeared. "With your knowing how and when to use your powers, and control them without blowing everyone to pieces while at work, you clearly show potential to become our next great group of students."<p>

"But professor, they hardly did anything." One of the girls in the class complained, pointing at Terra, Kaelea, Liona and Ion. "All they did was tell their friends what to do."

"Not necessarily, Alice. We kept a good eye on them while they were in the Swamp." Musa replied before Griselda could. "Techna had surveilance all over the place, and it was thanks to Flora and her technology that we were able to keep an eye on them without getting in their way why we worked on the obsticle course."

"You girls certainly showed potential, as Professor Paladian put it." Aisha said as Astraia and Marcie landed back on the ground with the six Believix Fairies following suit. "And a good sense of team work as well. That's another great thing to have when you're in a group facing grave danger."

"And an understanding of when others need help too." Flora added as Terra and her friends were blushing embarrassedly at each other.

Then Terra thought of an idea as a thank you to the Believix Fairies and their excellent teaching skills. Even though she had to be careful on her leg right now, this shouldn't be too strenouous on her.

"Thank you for believing in us, Winx!" Terra said, her purple aura appearing around her body as she summoned all the birds in the swamp and surrounding forest in the biggest spell she's ever done thus far.

"Huh?" Musa could swear she could hear massive flocks of beautiful birds doing a fly over, then Aisha confirmed it as flocks of colorful birds started coming from all angles.

"Look!" Aisha said, pointing up as Terra was laughing at the display, showing her thanks to her friends at last in a way that would leave lasting memories for everyone present.

"There's a reason she's the Fairy of Animals, after all!" Bloom said with a proud, older-sister-like smile.

There were other gasps of awe and wonder at the display as Terra almost lifted off the ground from the power of her aura before after several moments, the birds began to retreat once more, and she returned to normal.

"Terra, that was amazing!" Kaelea said as she and her four other friends surrounded Terra in a massive group hug while the others looked on.

"Such foolishness!" Griselda's disapproval of the display was apparent to the Winx and the other classmates, but once everyone calmed down, it was time for the Specialists to return to their posts as well, and the class and the Winx to head back to Alfea.

"Bye, see you boys again!" Astraia waved after turning to leave with her friends.

* * *

><p>"You know, I think we made quite an impression on them." Prince Kreon said, glancing back to see Kaelea stealing a glance back at the same time before she blushed and looked back ahead of her.<p>

"Who knows, pretty soon they may be more than just friends with us!" Galen's grin was blatantly obvious at the thought of a possible girlfriend so long as he didn't mess anything up along the way between himself and Liona.

"What about you, Cain? You've known Terra longer than the rest of us have known her friends. Have you thought about asking her out?" Arron asked, dragging his now quiet friend back into the fray of conversation.

"Of course I have, many times. But I just can't ever pluck up the courage or find the right time to ask her." Cain admitted.

"Cain having courage issues? This is certainly new." Ector smirked.

"Yeah, normally you're either the laziest one of the bunch of us, or the most couragish when something needs getting done that's dangerous." Galen commented.

"I've told you before, it's not laziness, it's called conserving energy for those times when I need it most." Cain said in such a matter-of-fact tone that the other boys in his group burst out laughing when they got back to their posts around Alfea college.

* * *

><p>"Man, is it good to be out of there!" Astraia said. "Sand Pits, wolf monsters and who knows what else!"<p>

"For once, I agree with you, Astraia. That place was nasty." Ion shivered, knowing it could've been a lot worse for them.

"Well, why don't you girls go rest for the evening. And tomorrow the next stage in your training will begin?" Bloom suggested, knowing the swamp could be exhausting from personal experience.

"Sounds like a great idea, Bloom." Kaelea sighed in relief. "I could use a few hours of sleep after all that."

By this time, most of the class had already dispersed, and Griselda was talking about getting her report on their progress to Ms. Faragonda's table as soon as possible.

"You know, I think you may have impressed the impressionable." Aisha said as Griselda's back vanished behind the grand entrance doors of the school.

"Nah, from what I hear, she's always impossible to read the expression of. Or something." Kaelea shook her head, thinking it a mere joke that a freshmen fairy new to the business could ever impress Ms. Griselda.

Astraia gave her cousin Stella a big hug after they all went back to their civilian forms, and bid good evening to them, leading her friends away back to their dormitories.

"Man, am I looking forward to some R and R!" Terra sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"R and R? What's that?" Asked Liona.

"Rest and Relaxation. It's a turn of phrase back home." Explained Terra.

"I like that turn of phrase. It sounds great!" Kaelea stretched her arms, feeling them snap and pop in the process.

* * *

><p>Back in their dormitories, Terra and Kaelea were laying back in cushioned bean bag chairs talking about their hopes and dreams for becoming what was called a 'true Alfea Fairy'.<p>

"I hope to one day become as powerful and beautiful as any of the original Winx Club. Then I could help others, I could entertain with my illusion spells, and I could help people see through the illusions put in to their own paths in life." Kaelea sighed dreamily.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful Kaelea! Imagine the kind of magic shows you could achieve if you became a Believix Fairy!" Flicka squealed in excitement at her Fairies' dream. "They would be more amazing than anything found in Magix!"

This idea made Kaelea smile and laugh embarrassedly, brushing some of her blue hair behind her ears.

"What about you Terra? Do you know what your goal as a Fairy here at Alfea is?" Asked Kaelea, looking across the small living area at her friend, who was currently petting Sadie- who greeted them earlier with much jumping around and barking.

"I don't know really... I know I want to be as great as Aisha and Bloom... I mean, no offense, but Aisha was my first friend out of any group of Fairies, and she and Nabu helped me so much. They're like the older siblings to me that I never had. And Bloom is amazing and so brave. She never backs down from any challenge..." She paused, thinking more about Kaelea's question. "I've got so many questions about myself. Who I am, why I am even the last Fairy from Earth, why the other fairies are still missing. How on earth I can free or revive my Queen who's come to me in visions a few times now... And what the White Circle is. It feels like... it feels like..." She drifted off, not quite sure what she thought all of this felt like.

"Like you have a huge hill that seems insurmountable to pass over?" Asked Chita in the most helpful, friendly way she could to make it clear she wasn't making fun of her Fairy.

"Exactly. Good one, Chita." Nodded Terra as Sadie gave an encouraging whimper.

"Don't worry. You've got lots of people helping you, all those Specialists, the Winx Club, myself and our friends. I'm sure eventually we'll figure everything out. It'll just take some time." Kaelea looked pitied for her friend with all the burdens she had to deal with since the Wizards of the Black Circle struck.

* * *

><p>"There we go, the obsticle course is all set up for tomorrow!" Techna declaired, having just finished making sure all the settings and safety cautions were put in exactly the right order.<p>

"Won't they be impressed by your handy-work girls?" Asked Stella flying around it in her Believix transformation to ensure it's completion with her own eyes.

"Like how we were impressed by your cousin and her quick action today?" Smiled Flora.

"You mean Astraia?" Blinked Stella.

"Who else has a cousin that's here at Alfea right now?" Grinned Aisha.

"Well, of course she shows great potential, she's my cousin and I wouldn't expect anything less from a young Solarian Duchess!" Stella beamed at the praise Astraia was getting for her actions today. "Not to mention her friend Marcie, they really know their stuff for being Magic Winx fairies."

"We may yet have some competition from them if we're not careful." Musa added in her two cents.

"But it would be welcome competition, wouldn't it? I mean, seeing how much they're working to become real Fairies is certainly reminding me of us and how hard we worked to get here today." Flora said.

"Either way, we should be heading in like the rest of the school, it's getting dark now." Techna said, pointing at the horizon.

* * *

><p>Deep inside the forest surrounding the school, the four Wizards had watched the entire events in the Black Mud Swamp, and figured out right away who conjured the storm.<p>

"Those witches might be of some use to us..." Dumon said.

"They certainly are nasty enough." Nodded Gantlos.

"We'll keep an eye on those two for a while. Anagan, I want you to tail Delta and Adena. Report back whenever you can. Dumon, keep spying on Terra." Ogron stated. "And Gantlos, you just stick with me for now. I'll have use for you yet."

"Right." The three Wizards nodded. Anagan seemed to bow slightly before vanishing in a blur of speed to Cloud Tower, while Dumon transformed into a giant, black bird with evil red eyes and flew away back towards Alfea College in the fading light.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

Well golly gee, hasn't it been a while guys? I know I promised more updates with this story, but last month I wound up having to have an emergency surgery after some pretty traumatising stomach and abdomen pain. Turns out, my gallbladder decided to quit, and in a very big way. It was swollen, full of thirty plus gallstones blocking both the entrance and exit of said organ, and wasn't functioning at all. I could barely eat anything, then I'd have excruciating pain in my stomach that sometimes resonated below my lungs or at my back. Or just all around. So, the day before the weekend three weeks ago today, I had a couple of rather plain tacos. Five minutes later, I had such severe pain, my stomach literally quivered like it was about to implode on me. And after being rushed to the hospital, the very next day I was in surgery. So, this lack of updating couldn't really be helped, guys.

And when I finally came back to write, I had to reread my own story so I could remember what was happening and who was doing what here and why.

So pretty much in a nutshell, if you'll excuse my language before hand, last month was one hell of a month for me! But at least I'm back! I'm remembering what I was doing, and all the things that was going on here thanks to my notes too. I like to keep physical notes like character names, weapon details, future couplings for Fairies and Specialists, etc. It helps out for me to get past writer's block. -shudders at the thought of the dredded writer's block-.

Now, to my story... By now, you've gathered that I've brought in the White Circle as a story plot, as well as two witches. Not three like the Trix, but two. There's gonna be a reference in their 'name' to another movie series that fans of said movies would get right away. And the name of one of the witches is Delta, which is a Southern American name from way back. I had a great Aunt named Delta who the Witch is named after. Not as an insult, but as a mark of honor from me and my family since my grandmother always speaks so fondly of her sister.

And obviously, the Black Mud Swamp is a look back at the Rainbow English Dub days. Fortunately I could still find those early episodes on YouTube, yay!

I personally can't wait for Terra to get to her own Enchantix phase in the levels of transformation that I have planned. For reasons of my own plot twists and such.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and sorry I was gone so long!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: **

**Love, Loss and the Never-hads **

It was early the next morning, and Alfea school for Fairies was buzzing with excitement. Many young girls there had noticed the obsticle course from their dormitory windows when they awoke, and upon entering the cafeteria for breakfast, they saw the Winx Club gathered with the other faculty members of the school discussing some final details about security, the safety of the project, and so on.

When Terra and her friends came dashing in, Bloom looked over with a smile, and waved the six young fairies over.

"Terra, just who we wanted to see!" Bloom said as Headmistress Faragonda's eyes looked over the group of fairies who were milling around, before they seated them. "We had a question for you."

"As part of our demonstration this morning, we were wondering if you'd like to take part?" Aisha nodded when Bloom brought it up.

"Take part? What do you mean?" Terra blinked, still too groggy to really get what they were saying.

"Well, Bloom, Flora and Aisha are going to demonstrate in their own ways how to get through the obsticle course as Believix Fairies. And once they go through, we would like you to demonstrate as well, to show that no matter the level of power or strength a Fairy is at, she can still conquer any challenge." Musa explained, seeing Terra's early morning grogginess.

"Even a young fairy just starting out, coming from a world where magic hasn't existed for centuries." Stella put in.

"Erm... I'm not exactly swift or agile as you girls... but... I think I could give it a shot." She said, looking unsure of herself.

"Don't worry, Terra. You'll do just fine." Bloom smiled encouragingly as Terra went back to join her friends.

"So, what did the Winx want?" Asked Kaelea eagerly, having watched the interactions from their table.

"They want me to take part in the exersize after breakfast with them!" Terra said in an excited tone.

"Ooh, this should be fun! I can't wait to see how this looks with three Believix Fairies, and a Magic Winx Fairy from Earth!" Astraia nearly flung some fruit at her friends from her fork in her own excitement.

Many of the young fairies in Alfea school had never seen Believix Fairies in action before, let alone an Earth Fairy. So as word traveled about the coming events in more detail throughout breakfast, it was no secret how anxious everyone was to get going.

"Your attention please, if we all could head outside, we have everything set up for todays exhibit." Ms. Faragonda's voice rang clear as a bell over all the babble.

With many glances and scraping of chairs, the students of Alfea all crowded to file out as instructed, and once into the plaza, they saw Techna had strategically added several raised seats around the perimiter to give each and every member of the audience a good view of what was going on.

"Well, guess I'm going to join them, I'll see you girls in a bit." Terra waved at her friends, spotting where the Winx were gathered at the start of the course, as well as a familiar group of Specialists.

"There you are!" Stella said with a smile, "Come on, we're about to get it started!"

There was no chance to say hi to the ten Specialists, but Terra waved nervously at them as she got behind Bloom, Aisha and Flora.

"You doing ok, Terra?" Asked Bloom as Ms. Griselda was busy making sure everyone was present, accounted for and seated.

"Just a little nervous. I've never been a fan of performing in front of other people." Terra admitted, scratching the back of her head.

"Don't worry, you'll do just fine." Bloom put an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Just watch us, and you'll be able to figure it out on your own." Nodded Aisha with a wink.

"Bloom, we're all ready for you." Ms. Griselda's voice carried over, and Bloom nodded with a smile again at Terra, before walking over to introduce everyone to what was going on.

"Welcome everybody, to this little demonstration we're putting on just for you! Not only will this be performed by myself, Aisha and Flora, but also we have a special guest. Our own studen, Terra, the first Fairy from Earth to attend Alfea School for Fairies in many centuries has agreed to perform as well." Bloom's voice was loud, clear, and confident even as Terra was looking up at the obsticle course with some trepedation and second thoughts.

Astraia saw this, elbowed Ion and Kaelea, then the whole group started cheering for their friend and the Winx Club group in general to give a morale boost.

This caused Bloom to smile again, and once the cheering died down, she continued.

"So without any farther adeu, I give you the Winx Club Believix Fairies!" Bloom looked back at Aisha and Flora, who were ready with a nod of the head. "Winx Believix!"

And the three fairies transformed in a haze of blazing lights and aura that matched the individual fairy, before reemerging as Believix Fairies to many cheers and 'wows' from the crowd.

Aisha went first, calling out her Morphix Surfboard, and flying through the course at break-neck speed, coming to an abrupt halt at the flaming rotating panel, then flew right into it, going past without incident and finally reaching the finishing obsticle, the large blue orb, to many cheers from the crowd.

"Ha! Beat that Bloom!" Called Aisha triumphantly.

"No problem, Aisha!" Said Bloom in sheer confidence, flying up as fast as her wings could carry her. Fluttering through with ease, pausing only at the flaming rotating torch then once she saw her chance, she took it and made it through the rest of the course to rapturous applause. "Your turn, Flora!" Cried Bloom high in the air.

As the group watched Flora rise up, she stated that the point was not to beat her friends, but to make them all look good. At the flaming rotating torch, she paused for merely a second, then turned the flames into beautiful double-bloom roses that fell over the entire crowd, the teachers, Terra, and the Specialists gathered to watch the action. Nearly everyone's faces were bright with wide eyes and smiles, reaching up to grab one of the falling delicate creations of the Fairy of Nature, to see if it was real or to smell the flowers.

"Your turn, Terra." Flora said as she joined Bloom and Aisha.

There were many who were curious, having never seen an Earth Fairy, only read about them in their history books, or seen glimpses of her in the hallways and heard rumors that she was a prodigy of the Winxology Class.

"Well, I don't want to disappoint!" Terra took a deep, calming breath. Then called out, while closing her eyes- "C'mon, Magic Winx! Do your thing!"

Within moments the last fairy from Earth, but the first Earth Fairy to attend Alfea in decades emerged from her violet aura that engulfed her upon calling out the magic phrase. There were many 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd as she took flight, even though she wasn't as fast as the Believix fairies that had just demonstrated the obsticle course. She could hear her friends in the crowd cheering her on, and it boosted her confidence.

Pushing her wings to go faster than they ever had before wasn't exactly an easy thing to do in front of a crowd, but when she focussed on it, forgetting about whether or not she would mess up or embarrass her famous teachers, she flew just as well as any fairy she had yet met, smiling as the wind blew through her hair. Upon reaching the rotating 'flower dispenser' she got an idea on how to add her own flair to the scene.

"Feather Wing Duster!" She called out the spell as she felt the words form in her mind, taking from Flora's example. Instead of completely doing away from Flora's creation, she added to it. The rotating torch bursting into soft white angel-like feathers among the flowers, then she flew through the rest of the course, her heart beating fast in her throat as nerves threatened to overcome her.

"Well done, Terra!" Bloom and Aisha caught her, keeping her from flying into the school.

"What these girls have just shown us is that no matter the obsticles, no matter where you're from, if you put enough effort and determination into something, you can over come any challenge." Tecna explained to the crowd. "Even though Terra was quite obviously nervous about doing this in front of a crowd, she still found a way to overcome that." She finished to a wide and loud clapping and cheeering from the audience.

"Well done, girls." Headmistress Faragonda's smile was evident that she was pleased with how this exersize went.

Ms. Griselda took the lead once they announced the end of the display, telling the other students to head back indoors for their lunch, then the rest of the day's lessons. There was much chatter, and amusing glances around back at the Specialists, the Winx girls, and the students for the Winxology class as Tecna returned the course back to its normal state.

Astraia, Marcie, Liona, Ion and Kaelea all hurried over to Terra as she, Bloom, Flora and Aisha fluttered back down to the ground.

"That was amzing, guys!" Astraia said, hugging her cousin Stella as the usual greeting between the two.

"Couldn't have done it without Tecna and Professor Paladian." Musa smiled in their excitement over the assembly that went off without a hitch that morning.

"And now here comes the not-so-fun part." Aisha said while Ms. Faragonda looked on.

"Oh?" Blinked Kaelea, a little unsure if she liked Aisha's tone or not now.

"Yes. We want all six of you to spend your afternoons working on this course, to improve on your speed, reaction times, and so on." Nodded Bloom. "If you are going to be facing the Wizards of the Black Circle one day, you're going to have to get a lot better, and a lot stronger."

"So... we'll be working on this thing during the afternoons rain or shine?" Marcie looked up at the currently bright blue skies.

"Don't worry, I can make sure the weather is cooperative while we're out here working." Astraia commented. "I've got a better handle on my powers these days."

"Excellent. I don't fancy getting soaked when we're supposed to be doing our homework." Liona shuddered at the thought.

"We're going to be moving this course to the back of the school today so you won't have to worry about performing in front of everyone again." Flora said, to which Terra gave a great sigh of relief. "And there will always be at least a few Specialists on hand to watch over you as you're working, just in case the Wizards try something while we're gone."

"You're not gonna be here?" Blurted out Marcie before she could stop herself.

"No, we need to spend some time back in Gardenia, we'll be working on getting stronger ourselves, and bringing magic back to Earth while you girls are working here. We should be back in a week or two to check on your progress, though." Bloom shook her head, smiling at how abrupt Marcie could be. "So when you're not doing lessons in the mornings, remember that we want you outside working on the obsticle course together. It will also help in your team work, and prepare you in the next step of your training. So bear that in mind while you're working."

* * *

><p>Of all the fairies who weren't thrilled about this plan, Kaelea had probably the most despondant attitude about it. She still tolerated the fact that she had to fly, but she made it clear by the fifth day that it wasn't going to be an easy thing to keep up with her friends. Astraia was already showing improvement since her tango with the two witches of Cloud Tower sending the storm to the Black Forest, and Liona was doing her best to encourage Kaelea to keep working on it.<p>

"Come on, Kaelea," She said Wednesday afternoon. "It's just like anything in life, the more you work at it, the easier it becomes even if you don't like it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Huffed Kaelea after an exhausting day of work. Fortunately, Astraia was able to keep the weather clear and perfect for their outdoor work, and when she wasn't working on the exersizes herself, Ion was busy calculating how best to maximise the benefits of the training the Winx Club gave them.

"I think if we start training in all kinds of weather and conditions, it will help us improve our skills exponentially." Ion said on their fifth day came to a close, and the fairies landed around her on the ground.

"What do you mean? You want us to get all covered in filth and soaking wet?" Shuddered Astraia at the very thought.

"You know, I think helping our friend protecting her planet and race of fairies is more important than how nice and primped our outfits are." Liona said with a sharp edge to her tone.

"And I think that if we are to one day go to Earth and help her, appearances are everything! I was talking to my cousin Stella just the other day and she was telling us about how the people of Gardenia are more willing to believe them as super heroes than just plain old fairies." Astraia retorted, not backing down from her end of the argument just yet.

"Yes, that may be true," Ion said, "But Liona is also right. The Winx have years of experience and training behind them, and worked really hard to become Believix fairies. If we want to be as good, if not better, than them, we have to work hard too."

"I say tomorrow, Astraia should conjure up the nastiest storm she can for us to work in. And I'll add in the rain on top of it!" Marcie grinned at the thought of a challenge that will really get her sweating.

"Yes, but let's not forget that Parent's Appreciation weekend is coming up in a week and a half too, so we can't kill ourselves with training and expect to be sociable with our parental figures." Kaelea put in her two cents after checking the school calendar on her own phone.

"Parents' Appreciation weekend?" Blinked Terra, at a complete loss.

"It was announced this afternoon at lunch by Ms. Griselda. You were there, Terra. Remember?" Asked Ion with a suspicious raised eyebrow.

"Erm..." Terra's face went a light shade of pink as she recalled dozing off in her seat at their table with her head on her hand while still appearing to look like she was paying attention.

Ion sighed.

"Parents' Appreciation Weekend is a weekend that is reserved just for that very activity. We each go back home to our families for two days out of the year, so we can spend time with them. It's a great way for freshmen fairies to have a break from school, at least for a bit." She explained, pulling up her holographic calendar from her mini computer.

"That's what that is?" Stared Terra. "Huh... we have something similar on Earth. We have Mother's Day, and Father's Day. But since I don't have a mom, it's usually just Father's Day for me." She shrugged. Then stared back at her friends when they all looked at her, with almost a pitying gaze. "What? I'm sure I'm not the only one in Alfea who only has one parent, and as you can see, I've turned out just fine."

"Yeah, but still. Not being able to celebrate both days or both parents when most of us are able to... I'm sure it must be hard." Liona patted her friend on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't go that far. I mean, I don't have a father. He walked out on my mom ages ago." Kaelea said this casually causing everyone's eyes in the group to turn to her next. "And here I am today doing just namby pamby."

"Wow... I didn't realize we had something else in common apart from sharing a dorm room." Terra said in surprise to Kaelea's support.

"What about you, Ion?" Asked Kaelea, not meaning to sound like she was trying to cut Terra off.

"My parents are both still together, and on Zenith they are really well known. They aren't royalty, but they've helped create a lot of the technology that's used in the shopping centers there." Ion replied. "They may not be good at expressing emotions in public, but their skills are world famous back home."

"Wow... famous parents." Kaelea blinked.

"How about you guys, since we seem to be in the mood for discussing our families?" Asked Ion, feeling it was only fair.

Astraia, Liona and Marcie looked at each other.

"My parents are still together, but my dad is really quiet and they never talk to each other or spend any time together." Shrugged Astraia finally. "There's was an arrainged marriage, so I don't think there was ever any love between them to begin with." There was a pause. "What? Don't you start pitying me, I'm glad they got together otherwise I wouldn't be here." She shrugged imperiously, flipping her hair.

"My mom has always been supportive of me. She was the one who encouraged me to come to Alfea in the first place." Liona admitted. "While father's always been protective of us, since his first wife and child died during an epidemic decades ago, he just doesn't want the same thing to happen again. Which I understand. That's also part of why I want to become a real fairy. To make him proud and realize that history won't always repeat itself."

"Disease epidemic? I didn't realize Andros had such things?" Ion tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"Oh! He's not from Andros. My mom is, but not my Dad. He's from another world that fell ages ago. He doesn't like to talk about it much." Said Liona in an off-hand sort of way. "He met my mom on a trip to Andros, fell in love with her, and here I am. I also have an older brother, but he obviously goes to Red Fountain."

"Oh? Our big tough Liona also has a big tough brother she never mentioned before?" Astraia grinned mischeviously.

"You never asked about my family before now, and with everything being so crazy up before today, I never had a chance." Explained Liona to the duchess.

"Well, that just leaves Marcie and her family... What say you?" Terra asked, feeling intrigued at how interesting her friends all really were.

"What about me? My Dad is always off at work making sure we're well provided for." Marcie said simply, with a hinto of annoyance in her voice that was rare for her. "Mom doesn't have to work, so she was training me as a swimmer since I was little."

"Yeah? What does your Dad do for a living that keeps him from being home so much?" Asked Astraia.

"Heck if I know. Mom doesn't talk about it much. All I know is that he's a diplomat of some sort, or something. He always comes home with fancy gifts and such from his work that's always quote- suited to my unique personality- unquote. We keep in touch on the holo-networks here in the evenings."

"That's who I heard you talking to the other night! Your Dad!" Said Liona suddenly. "I kept hearing you talking to someone, and I knew it wasn't your pixie, she was sound asleep."

"Yeah, that's my Dad. He's really sweet and always concerned about my well being. I just wish he had more time to spend with mom now that I'm going to school." Nodded Marcie.

"At least your Dad takes an interest in you and your Mom." Sighed Kaelea. "Even if he can't always be there, he's providing for you and doing the right thing. I have no clue where my Dad is. For all my Mom and I know, he could be dead on the streets on some random planet in the Magical Dimension."

Terra went over and patted Kaelea on the shoulders in sympathy.

"Well, we should head in. It's been a long day and if I'm gonna get permission from Ms. Faragonda for our plans tomorrow, I need to start now before she goes to bed too or something." Astraia shrugged.

"Alright guys, we'll see you at breakfast tomorrow then." Nodded Ion as the girls all turned back into their civilian forms.

* * *

><p>Back in their dormitories, Kaelea and Terra were unwinding after a long, tedious day.<p>

"You know, it amazes me how similar we all are." Terra commented as she watched her dog Sadie chasing the two pixies around the room, barking in excitement at the thrill of it all. "I mean, yeah we're from different worlds and everything, but deep down, we are quite similar in our families, and our desires."

"Oh yeah, who said we weren't? Otherwise we wouldn't get along, and we wouldn't be the next generation of Winx Club members." Smiled Kaelea, looking up from her homework that she was doing.

"I think it is intriguing to learn about my fairie's family history, even if it is sad and lonely." Said her Pixie, Flicka.

"I'm not sad or lonely anymore though. I've got my friends and the best pixie in the world to keep me company." Kaelea's smile was broad as Flicka suddenly zoomed away from a huge leap of Sadie's. Sadie wound up landing right on Terra- who'd been sitting in her bean bag chair doing her own homework- and tackling Terra to the ground, sending her paperwork and books flying all over the place.

"Sadie!" Screamed Terra, before Sadie licked her in the face and got off.

"So unorderly!" Said Chita in alarm, flying over to help get Terra's homework back in order with a couple of simple silent spells.

"Enough play time for you, young lady." Terra said in a disciplinary way. "You got your run at lunch, and yet you still have enough energy to keep an entire daycare center back home on the run!"

Sadie- who's spell to let her talk had worn off at last earlier the previous afternoon- sulked and went over to her dog bed which was next to Terra's.

Just as Terra was getting back to her feet, she heard her cellphone ringing.

"Oh! I wonder if it's Dad?" She said offhandedly, pulling it out from her pants pocket, then her eyes went wide. "It's Cain?"

"Oh?" Kaelea's own interest was suddenly peaked, and she put down her homework to walk over. Terra put up a hand for silence as she answered.

"Erm... hey Cain!" She said. "What's up?"

* * *

><p>Cain, who'd just gotten done with some of Saladin's drills for that evening, decided to find a quiet spot in a corridor of Red Fountain before calling her. He was surprised when she answered, and it took him several moments to regain composure.<p>

"Hey Terra, I was wondering if we couldn't talk?" He asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Aren't we already?" Replied an amused sounding Terra.

"Well... I mean... About us. I know you're busy and all with the training, but I was hoping we could get together sometime? Maybe this weekend?" He stammered through the question.

"I'd love to! But, it's Parent's Appreciation weekend this weekend. And I'm going back to Earth for a couple of days." Terra replied, sounding dissappointed in how things were being arrainged now.

"Well, I'll be going as part of your guard. Couldn't we do something then? After you've had a chance to rest up and spend time with your Dad?" Cain said after a couple of moments of thought.

"I don't see why we couldn't." Terra sounded much calmer than she obviously felt at the moment.

"Great! Then... it's a date?" Said Cain nervously, to which he heard a very faint 'uh-huh' from Terra. "Then... I'll see you this weekend."

* * *

><p>"Yeah. I'll see you then." Terra said, fighting to keep cool. After that, they cut the connection, and Terra practically collapsed onto her bean bag chair in excitement.<p>

"Well?" Kaelea, Flicka and Chita were all hovering over her, and even Sadie was looking at her from her doggie bed in her corner with perked up ears.

"Cain just asked me out on a date!" Terra exclaimed, to which Kaelea and the pixies squealed in delight.

"When's it gonna be? It can't be this weekend, right? You're going back to Earth for a couple of days." Chita asked, flying in circles around Terra now.

"It's gonna happen on Earth. Who knows, if he can get Daddie's approval, there may be more dates in the future!" Terra said, her face bright red as her heart was racing. "I can't wait to tell Aisha and them!"

* * *

><p>Cain let out a sigh of relief, then looked up when he heard footsteps.<p>

"Well here you are. What on earth were you doing over here?" Said Arron rather suspiciously.

"I just asked Terra out on a date." Cain replied, standing up and looking dazed at how well things went for their conversation. She could have easily said no, and crushed all hopes of getting to know her better than just being her guard whenever she was out and about. But instead, she said yes. That meant she must have realized there was something between them, just as he did. Which meant there were more chances in the future so long as he didn't blow their first date.

"And?" Asked Arron, seeing the look on his friends' face.

"She said yes. We're gonna have our first date on Earth, so hopefully I'll be able to make a good impression on her father as well." Cain said, still nervous about that fact.

"Don't worry, man. You'll do great. Besides, Mr. Dediere already knows you. So it's not like it'll be too much of a shock. Who knows, maybe he'll even be happy about it!" Arron clapped his friend on the back in celebration. "C'mon, we gotta tell the others!" And he dragged Cain away from his point of solitude in Red Fountain.

"Maybe I can ask King Sky for some advice... He and Bloom always seem to work things out when things get nasty." Cain said nervously.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Terra and Kaelea joined their friends at the tables in the cafeteria, and Kaelea was the first to speak up.<p>

"Guess which fairy just got asked out on her first date?" She said happily.

"You?" Liona tilted her head slightly.

"Nope! This fairy!" And Kaelea pointed at a blushing and embarrassed Terra.

"No way!" Astraia's voice raised uncontrollably in her excitement, causing other young fairies to turn and look at them rather curiously.

"Yeah, Cain called yesterday evening after we were done working and asked me. So we'll be going out when I go to Earth this weekend." Nodded Terra, smiling in spite of herself.

"Well, at least you have something fun to look forward to." Marcie's grin was wider than it had been in a while.

"Fun, and not to mention romantic." Astraia swooned. "Too bad Cain's not a prince or something... That would make it even better!"

"Please, not everyone needs a prince charming to be happy!" Said Ion as the others giggled and they went back to their breakfast.

* * *

><p>It turned out, later that very afternoon, that Ms. Faragonda's permission for Astraia to conjure up a storm to end all storms for her friends to work in was given. So when the six fairies met out back, and transformed, Astraia flew up above Alfea. It didn't feel weird to her at all as her friends watched. With deep concentration, she summoned the wind that would bring the black storm clouds, then Marcie flew up to join her. Together, the two managed to summon a rainy, stormy afternoon with lightning, thunder, and heavy winds.<p>

"All right! Everything is set, we can get to work!" Ion said, nearly having to shout over the raging wind and rain.

With all their hard work, the rest of the week went by rather quickly. Most of the time it took Astraia causing a blast of hot wind around the girls to dry them off properly- the first time this happened, the resulting mess of their hair made nearly everyone laugh. Friday came to much relief, as the girls were busy packing their bags for the two day stay.

"You'll HAVE to let us know how your date with Cain goes!" Astraia said excitedly as she burst into the dormitories when she was done.

"No worries! I plan a conference style call the next day!" Terra said, knowing her friends would burn her alive if she failed to live up to her promise. "And if I don't call by then, you can call me in turn."

"You got it, and I'll hold you to your promise." Astraia said, giving a mock-salute.

"I'll stay here and make sure your rooms are nice and in order for your return, Terra!" Flicka said. "You have fun with your Dad, and behave on your date with Cain." She said sternly.

"Oh come on, it's not like Cain's a bad guy or anything, Flicka. It's those nasty Wizards of the Black Circle we have to worry about." She felt much more confident in herself after all the hard work they put in over the last two weeks. "I also can't wait to check in with the Winx, and show them all that I've been learning with you guys."

"Too bad we can't go with you." Sulked Kaelea. "I was so looking forward to my first trip to Earth!"

"Maybe on the next holiday you can come." Terra patted her friend on the shoulders, and she invariably perked up at the thought. "Well, I think this is everything." She double checked her suitcases, and Sadie was prancing around her, tail held up high. "I'll see you guys on Monday." Terra hugged Kaelea and Astraia, before giving her pixie a hug as well. She and Sadie then turned to leave, opening the door to come face to face with Ms. Griselda.

"Oh!" Ms. Griselda had apparently just gotten to the door to knock on it. "I have just come to inform you, young lady, that you have an escort waiting to take you to Earth via the transport system in Magix."

"Escort?" Terra blinked, looking down at Sadie. "I wasn't aware that I had to have one just to go home for a weekend."

Ms. Griselda's eyebrows were raised. It was impossible to tell if she was amused or not.

"If you will follow me, please, I will take you to the bus where your escort waits." Ms. Griselda turned to lead the way.

"But... Don't you think as a sixteen year old I'd be able to make it to the bus on my own, Ms. Griselda?" Asked Terra a little tentatively. She didn't much like the idea of being escorted through the school by Ms. Griselda in front of all the other fairies who were also headed off world for the weekend. Not when they'd just seen her with the Winx Club in the demonstration a mere two weeks ago.

Ms. Griselda stopped mid stride, causing Terra to bump into her. Then Griselda turned, looking sternly down at the young fairy.

"Young lady, need I remind you that you are the last fairy from Earth, and the main target of the Wizards of the Black Circle. Just because you are sixteen, does not mean you are free from danger. Do you remember that they attacked you even while you were at Pixie Village? Do not take your safety and security for granted, Ms. Dediere." Ms. Griselda's lecture in front of her friends and other fairies made Terra feel very self concious, and nervous.

"Ok, ok! Let's go then." She mumbled.

Griselda stood back away from her, straightened her glasses, then marched Terra through the rest of the school to the front entrance. There, Terra saw who was waiting for them.

"Nabu, Cain!" She said excitedly. "I didn't realize when Ms. Griselda said 'escort' she meant you guys!" Only today, Nabu and Cain were wearing their Earth Civilian clothes so that when they arrived on Earth, they wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in the crowds of the city.

"Of course it meant them. Ms. Faragonda figured that you would respond better to an escort if it was someone you already knew. The other members of the team are already stationed on Earth along with the Winx, so you should be able to have a good time and be safe while you're at it." Ms. Griselda stated with a raised eyebrow. Once again it was impossible for Terra to tell if she was amused or not by Terra's reactions.

Ms. Griselda stayed until the hover-bus came to pick them up, and once they were safely on board, they saw her turn and leave. Taking her seat, Cain sat on her left while Nabu sat on her right. The arraingement got some curious stares from passerby, but otherwise nobody paid any attention to the trio accompanied by the exciteable Golden Retreiver.

"So you guys had drills and such the other day? Who was standing guard around Alfea?" Asked Terra to Cain rather curiously.

"It was the Senior Specialists group that Nabu's a member of. King Sky, Brandon and them." Cain replied.

"I see..." Said Terra thoughtfully.

Once the bus reached the station, they all picked a platform.

"Please state your destination name clearly." The female voice of the station said.

"Gardenia of Earth, please." Terra replied.

* * *

><p>In a flash of light, that engulfed the entire group, they vanished from Magix before reappearing in an alley of Gardenia, which Terra recognized right away.<p>

"The apartments are this way." Terra said, leading the way through the streets, taking in the welcoming sights in gratitude, for a break from school. They passed the Love and Pet shop, and that's when they were finally stopped by someone.

"Terra! We didn't realize you'd be back this weekend!" Stella called, having spotted the familiar faces and dog that accompanied them.

"Of course! It's Parent's Appreciation after all." Terra blinked at Stella, who apparently lost track of the date and time just as she had.

"Really? Wow how time flies." Bloom had come out to say hello.

"I'm on my way to my Dad's right now." Terra smiled in greeting as Aisha joined them.

"I could've sworn I told you guys about that, that's why Nabu was going back to Alfea this morning." Aisha said.

"Really? I guess we got so busy we forgot." Bloom and Stella looked slightly embarrassed at each other.

"Business is booming then?" Terra looked beyond them to see Musa, Techna and Flora busy in the shop with a group of people and their magical pets.

"Oh yes. Techna's found a way to get more customers with the internet and a website, and we've been keeping the Fairy Hunters from attacking Gardenia's people nearly every day." Stella sighed in an exhausted sort of way. "I don't know which is more exhausting!"

"Maybe it's the combination? Have you thought about taking the weekend off? That's what Dad does to keep himself from going batty." Terra said in sympathy. "Otherwise, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy."

"What?" Blinked both Stella and Aisha.

"It's a common saying here on Earth." Bloom explained. "It means those who work too hard generally don't know how to relax, or something like that."

"Well I like that saying. We need some time off!" Stella complained once more, to which Bloom and Aisha looked at each other. "We've been working like dogs the last two weeks since we came back just to catch up- no offense Sadie- and it feels like we're hardly getting anywhere."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to be back home shortly." Terra said when a city clock started chiming that it was now ten in the morning.

"See you round, Terra." Bloom smiled, waving farewell.

"We're looking forward to seeing how much you've improved as a fairy on Monday back at Alfea." Aisha said, to which Terra looked rather nervous again.

"Relax, you've been working so hard I'm sure you'll blow their minds!" Cain said, taking a few leaves out of Sky's book, as he had indeed talked with the new King before meeting Terra that morning.

"Heh... thanks." Terra didn't say much on the matter as she again led the way down a few more blocks, and to a familiar apartment building.

Carl Dediere could be seen exersizing a couple of dogs from his pet shop in the open dog yard of the apartments building. Sadie barked in joy at the sight of the man, bolting from Terra's side, to jump around until Carl suddenly realized there was a third dog.

"Sadie!" He said in surprise. "What on earth...?" He then looked to where Sadie was now looking as Terra approached.

"Hi Dad!" Terra smiled. "Apparently this is a surprise?"

"Terra!" And Carl soon was embracing his daughter in joy and relief. "How is everything? Is Alfea treating you well?"

"I'm find dad! Why don't we finish running these dogs first? Been a while since Sadie's ran here, after all." Terra gasped, feeling like her father was nearly strangling her. "D-daddy, c-come on!"

"Easy there, Mr. Dediere!" Nabu and Cain managed to pry Carl from his daughter.

"Sorry hon, I was just so excited to see you. We have to catch up! I want to know everything that's been going on!" Carl said, tossing a tennis ball for the dogs- now a group of three.

"Well, I should be going. I promised I'd report back to Ms. Faragonda and Headmaster Saladin when we were back safely." Nabu said, to which Terra waved as he turned to leave.

"So, erm... Mr. Dediere, would you mind if I talked to you really quick before you and Terra go in for the day?" Asked Cain.

"Sure thing, son. Terra, why don't you finish off running this trio while Cain and I have a talk?" Asked Carl, to which Terra happily obliged. She set her suitcases down next to her father, then grabbed the balls he'd been throwing for the dogs, and hurried to the running grounds once more.

* * *

><p>Nearby, a large black bird with deep red eyes had been watching the preceedings, before finally flying away into a shaded park where three other men waited for him.<p>

"You have news to report?" Ogron stated as Dumon appeared where the bird had been.

"Yes. She is now here on Earth, going to spend the weekend with dear old daddie, and her new Specialist Boyfriend apparently." Dumon replied.

"Then this is the weekend we will attack." Ogron sneered, before turning to look behind him. "Hear that ladies?"

Delta and Adena were standing nearby, in entirely new outfits, with entirely new hairstyles. Different from before, and now more eager to join in on the Black Circle's games. Delta now wore black, floor length pants that started just above the knee, held up by black belts. She also wore a deep violet mini skirt held to her waist with a black belt, and a silver set of chains wrapped around her waist. Her shirt exposed her stomach, with a layered effect of cloth. The top shirt was a v-neck elbow length violet-black affair, while the bottom layer was a jet black bell-shaped sleeve number. Her hair was now much wilder, in a side-ponytail on the right, with side-swiped bangs angled to the right as well, while her make-up was dark, deep purple around the eyes.

Adena, however, chose not to wear a mini-skirt. Instead, she wore red shorts, and black knee-length buckle boots with four buckles from the knees down, and a buckle at her ankles. Around her waist was a belt that held her shorts up, and a silver chain that wrapped twice around. Instead of a standard shirt, she wore a sleeveless red-black tail coat, which also exposed her stomach, and had a v-neck. On her right upper arm next to her elbow was a red arm band, and on both arms were red elbow-length gloves with exposed hands. Her hair was waist length, held back in a partial bun at the nape of her neck. The parts that were held back were the magenta sections, making the back of her hair look striped.

"Loud and clear, boss man." Sneered Delta.

"I can't wait to get back at those little fairies, starting with that freshman upstart, Terra!" Agreed Adena.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

And on this ominous note, the chapter comes to an end. I know, not a lot of action. But not every chapter has to have action! I mean, I still covered lots of ground in family history of each of my girls, and training, and going back to Earth for Parents' Appreciation weekend... So it's not like it was entirely boring, I would hope. I've been wanting to take some time to develop each of the girls a bit more anyways, and since this is still relatively early in my story, even though I'm nearing 100 pages, I took advantage of a lull in the action! I also wanted to work on my Twitches too (Twin Witches, yes there is a reference to a certain movie set with that name!)

I can't wait for the next stage in their education- Charmix! This means I've gotta design their Charmix belts and bags now? Gah!

Even though there's still plenty of the school year left, I prefer to have everything drawn out and designed ahead of time. It makes my writing easier, rather than having to do it mid-story, or pause in my writing to draw it out before I write it. I just do it before hand. Some of the designs I redo at least four or five times.

I know it's been a long wait in between chapters, and even though I have most of the plot figured out up till Enchantix, it's probably gonna take some time to get there due to my current home situation. I am in a new home, but my mom is going back and forth between here and the old house to get it ready to sell, and my Dad is still a recovering Cancer patient. And Cancer isn't something that you can just pop back up and be all "Ok, I'm alive and kicking again!" Especially not when one also has early onset Parkinsons to contend with. So I just write when I can, and draw/color when I can. I'm working on commissions on my deviantArt account, which is keeping me busy as it, but I'm also mapping out plots for my other stories like Avatar: The Legends of Raya, and SailorMoon: Eternal. So Winx Club is NOT my only story that I'm working on, or the only thing in my life. Though I will certainly make sure to keep up regular updates.

I thank those who are sticking with me, and keeping their patience with the story! It really means a lot, and your comments help give me the energy to keep writing in this story. I'm serious! It gives me an adrenaline rush when I get those comments, offering advice, or some constructive critiques, or just a plain "I enjoy this story" has the same effect. Even if I don't reply, or don't answer right away, I'm thrilled that there are even just a few people reading my story and getting some enjoyment out of it.

So again, thank you to those that are sticking with me, and waiting anxiously for each chapter installment. I swear I will make it worth the wait each time, or try to! Either by information on the characters that wasn't revealed previously, or by some kick ass action scenes.

On to the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Witches' Revenge, or Failed Plot?**

When Terra saw she was being waved back, she also saw that her father was grinning from ear-to-ear about something he and Cain had just discussed.

"These dogs have thuroughly had their brains run out. Even Sadie can barely move!" She declared as the three dogs walked over rather slowly.

"Good work, sweetie." Carl smiled. "And this young man here just told me that he asked you out on a date!"

"And?" Terra looked from one to the other nervously.

"I gave him my blessing. He's already proven himself, after all. I don't need to put him through much more!" Carl slapped Cain on the back, in an almost fatherly fashion.

"Oh daddy...!" Terra's face was bright red as Sadie barked happily.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, after Carl had taken the two dogs back to the pet shop, and Cain returned to his post until it was time for his date with Terra, Carl returned back to the apartment, where she was busy cleaning up for the day.<p>

"Already back into the routine? Why aren't you using magic to show off a little?" Carl said with a smile.

"Well, sometimes it just feels good to do things the traditional way. I've been using magic so much back at Alfea, this is a nice break from it." Terra replied, turning off the vacuum cleaner and wiping her brow on the back of her right arm. "Besides, this is also a great way to work through some nerves." She added, her face going a light shade of pink, thinking about later that evening.

"Speaking of Alfea, when are you going to give me a full report on what's been going on?" Carl asked, plopping himself down on the couch in the living room.

Terra emptied out the vacuum bin, put the vacuum away before joining him on the couch, and going into a recap of everything that had happened since her first day there when she had to say goodbye to her father.

It wasn't until hours later that she finally finished, to a silent and befuddled audience as Carl blinked, his mouth slightly open.

"Wow! I never would have imagined you'd improve so much!" He said, "And you can transform now too?"

"That's what Alfea helps a fairy with Dad!" Giggled Terra. "Learning to use her powers, and transform. And the Winx girls are helping my friends and I get stronger every day, even if they can't be with us all the time."

"Well that's great to hear, kiddo. And now... don't you have something important to get ready for?" He said in an off hand sort of way.

Terra stared for a moment before a look of dawning comprehension crossed her face.

"Oh no! My date!" And she sprang to her feet at once, almost tripping over Sadie, who in the course of the tales that Terra had been telling to her father, parked herself right on the floor at Terra's feet.

"Easy there, graceful. I just want you to have a good time and stay safe, all right?" Carl grabbed her by the arm to keep her from toppling over. "I'm gonna head back to the store for the evening, I've got lots of paperwork that I've been procrastinating on, so I'll trust you to lock up when you head out, ok?" He reached into his pockets, and pulled out the apartment keys.

"Awe, thanks Daddy." Terra gave her father a brief hug, grabbed the keys, and dashed to her room.

* * *

><p>The house was now empty apart from Terra and Sadie. Terra just finished getting dressed, and was brushing her hair, when Sadie's ears perked up. But it wasn't the kind of reaction she would give if it was someone they knew and trusted was outside. Instead, Sadie started growling. Terra put a finger to her lips for silence, sensing it now too.<p>

"Sadie, I want you to go out the back way, and get the Winx." Terra then cast the spell that allowed Sadie to talk.

"You got it! What'll you do if it's the Fairy Hunters, though?" Sadie asked quickly.

"I'll think of something. I may not have equal powers to them yet, but I can still stall them long enough for help to get here." Terra replied, and now Sadie dashed off through the apartment, and to her favorite escape hatch as a pup that she discovered to go outside.

* * *

><p>Adena and Delta were both hovering out front, expecting Terra to come out the main door. Instead, they saw the shadow of a golden retriever dashing from the sliding glass door on the other end of the apartment.<p>

"Follow her, I want to know what that dog is up to!" Adena ordered Delta, knowing that Terra could communicate with animals and might very well be sending her precious dog to sound the alarm.

"With pleasure." Smirked Delta, who took to the air.

"Time for me to ruin what could've been the perfect first date for our little freshman fairy friend." Sneered Adena once Delta was off in pursuit of the unusually fast, large dog.

* * *

><p>"All right... you guys wanna fight, I'll give you a fight! No one jumps me in my own home!" Terra said, still in her civilian form. She went from her room to the living room where she'd just been with her father, and closed her eyes to use a silent spell she'd been working on.<p>

* * *

><p>Adena had been striding towards the apartments with a smirk on her face and strut in her step until the ground at her feet seemed to tremble suddenly. Looking down, she saw it crack open and come alive. Rats from the depths of the sewers were summoned by Terra, engulfing Adena faster than she could think. With a disgusted yell, and a crack of lightning, the rats were repelled, sent all over the ground as the witch took to the air.<p>

"You wanna play it that way, little fairy?!" Demanded Adena. "Fine!" She directed her hands at the apartments Terra lived in, closed her own eyes, then sent a wave of black lightning into the very walls. A scream told her she was right on target. "Try and escape that one!"

* * *

><p>In the apartment, Terra was crouched down in terror as everything started either shorting out or nearly exploded before her. It was like her worst nightmarish halloween movie come to life.<p>

"Let's go, Magic Winx!" She shouted the transformation key words, while using a silent spell to open the sliding glass door. She flew out just as the black lightning attack reached the living room. The aura from her transformation protected her enough that she was able to fly out at top speed. "Wow, that was close! Daddy's gonna kill me!" She said with a sigh, thinking of the damage that Adena had done to the apartment.

"He won't get the chance, little fairy." Adena's smile was obvious even in the fading light of the day. "You seem to have gotten faster and more skilled since we last met. But then, so have I."

"Oh? Met up with those wizards have you? That would explain the terrible outfit you're in." Terra snarled.

"You little...!" Adena snarled. She couldn't think of a retort strong enough for her rage at seeing the fairy acting all high and mighty just from a few weeks training at Alfea. Instead, she summoned in silence a raging black storm cloud that swirled around them.

* * *

><p>Cain had been walking up to the apartment building when he saw Terra fighting a witch from Cloud Tower single handedly. But this attack that Adena was using now seemed to be somehow more powerful than before, and without a moment to spare, he brought out his hover-disc, flying up, withdrawing his sword, to help Terra block the attack.<p>

"Where'd you come from?!" Terra half-shouted over the sound of the lightning attack that now nearly engulfed them.

"We had a date planned, remember?" He replied with a grunt from the sheer amount of force needed to keep the lightning attacks from harming either of them. Terra had summoned her own violet, sphere shaped energy shield that she was taught to use by the Winx girls.

Adena's eyes were momentarily wide in surprise, but she only made her attack that much stronger. There was a flash of light, and Terra and Cain were falling, on the ground. The two didn't get up right away, still in shock from the bright lights, then the sound that accompanied the lightning. Adena landed on the ground, nearby Terra who was on her right side, facing her.

Terra's eyesight was now foggy and blurred, she struggled for several moments before finding Adena's feet slowly striding towards her. Sitting up slightly, her head raised, Terra moved her left hand, balling it into a fist while wincing.

"What is it you think you're doing, little one?" Smirked Adena, unaware that a serpant had been summoned. The comment from Adena was not a term of indeerment, rather, an insult to the budding fairy as she and her would-be boyfriend fought to keep her from destroying the apartments behind them, and the lives within the buildings.

With Terra's knowledge of animals throughout the magical dimension and earth, she knew just the right type to summon in this situation. Adena heard a hissing noise, and rattling of a tail right as she felt something wrap around her limbs. Letting out a yell, recognizing this snake for what it was right when it opened its mouth to strike, she vanished from the spot, reappearing several feet away.

"The Stone Serpant, eh? You've been learning more than just simple fairy spells." Adena was huffing, before she had to dodge another deadly strike, then another in mid air while Terra and Cain were regaining their footing.

* * *

><p>Bloom and her friends were busy getting ready to shut down Love and Pet for the evening, seeing the last customer out the door when they heard a familiar voice.<p>

"Bloom! Girls!" Sadie was panting heavily, having ran the whole way.

"Sadie? Where's Terra?" Asked Bloom.

"She's at the apartments, she was getting ready for a date. But then she was attacked by two witches!" Sadie panted as Aisha hurried over to see why Bloom wasn't helping out with cleaning and shutting down for the night. The other girls soon turned up behind them, all curious about why Sadie was unaccompanied by Terra, and unannounced.

"So you WERE rushing to give these fairies the news? Wretched MUTT!" Delta shouted.

"Looks like we've got company." Musa said as the six girls stood outside the door to the place that was both their business and home.

"Stella, why don't you and Musa stay here to handle this? We'll go and help Terra!" Bloom said, indicating herself, Aisha, Flora, and Tecna.

"You've got it." Nodded Stella.

"All right girls, Winx Beleivix!" Bloom called. Soon after they emerged as Believix fairies, Bloom used her powers to help Sadie fly with them as they summoned their Zoomix to reach Terra faster in case the Fairy Hunters turned up.

* * *

><p>Adena finally had enough of the game of snake versus prey, planting herself midair, she directed a blast of black lightning at the snake, which was turned into ash as it vanished on the spot after one last attempt at striking her that nearly got her arm. There was another, even brighter flash in the skies around them as they were joined by Bloom, Aisha and Tecna.<p>

"Girls!" Terra called with a relieved smile as Cain got to his feet. She stood up shortly after as well, watching Bloom and her friends while they surrounded Adena.

And Adena was surrounded on all sides by four Believix fairies in mid air.

"You think you little girls can intimidate me? Ha!" Snarled Adena. "I was given the power to beat even you Believix fairies!" She brought her arms to her side, preparing herself for a massive attack that would send everyone present running as the electricity around her became palpable, and the black lightning began flashing and sparking around her body.

* * *

><p>Back at Love and Pet, Stella and Musa were busy with Delta's own brand of magic, her black fire, which had been magnified due to the power the Wizards of the Black Circle gave her.<p>

"Solar Energy!" Shouted Stella, blocking an outright attack on her building and home. "You'd better watch yourself! It's been a long day, I'm crabby, and I've got very little patience for anyone who thinks they can damage my wardrobe and get away with it!"

"You certainly think highly of yourself, don't you little fairy?" Snarled Delta.

"Stella, watch out!" Musa brought up her disco shield around Love and Pet just as a black fire attack nearly sent it up in flames, their pets still inside. "Sonic Boom Blast!" Musa called out her spell, and two boom boxes that screeched a high pitched sonic noise at Delta forced her from the air, landing hard on the ground.

"Why you little-!" Delta snarled. "You think your little fairy powers are enough to stop me? I hold in me the power of Black Fire! Something that very few can put a stop to when it rages!"

There was a sudden rush of sound, and Sadie's ears perked up while she started sniffing around them.

"What is it, girl?" Asked Musa.

"Can you smell it? It's smoke!" Sadie cried.

"From where?" Stella looked around.

Then, the two realized where the smoke was coming from.

"She lit the underground on fire! We need to get Aisha here, pronto!" Stella said.

"Right. You go get her, I'll hold off madam pyromaniac." Musa nodded.

"Winx Zoomix!" Stella called out, before vanishing to fetch.

* * *

><p>"You're surrounded, Adena!" Bloom declared.<p>

"And there's no way out of this!" Aisha added.

"Fire wall!" Techna called out her spell, encasing Adena in her neon green net sphere.

"Good, you're all here!" Came Stella's voice.

"Stella! Where's Musa and Sadie?" Asked Flora.

"Delta's gone crazy, she lit the underground on fire! We need Aisha, fast or the entire city is going to blow up." Stella explained all of this rather fast. "Musa's doing what she can to put up barriers and such, but it might not hold long."

"Right. Let's go then, Stella." Nodded Aisha, seeing the urgency of the situation.

Terra watched as Aisha departed to aid Musa and Stella, but then Adena was fighting Techna's sphere, sending blast after blast of her black lightning at it, weakening the barrier with each attack. Inspiration suddenly struck Terra, who stood up on her feet while the Winx were distracted.

"Terra?" Cain blinked, seeing the focus on her face as she watched Adena closely. Suddenly, his head was jerking up to the skies as she flew fast, up right at Adena the moment she managed to break free from Techna's barrier.

The last thing Adena saw was her flash of powerful black lightning, then Terra's hand coming in contact with her face.

"Terra!" Bloom shouted in alarm as Terra suddenly found some unknown revenue of strength.

"Snake Fang Poison!" Terra shouted her spell.

Flora, Techna and Bloom would normally have gone to help Terra, but Adena's agonizing, blood curtling scream caused them to freeze in midair as Adena fell backwards, onto the ground covering her face.

"You little brat! What did you just do to me?!" Adena yelled, sending black lightning in random directions, forcing Cain to block several of the attacks.

"It's the poison of the black cobra from this planet, Adena. "Here, a single bite can kill. I didn't know what it would do to a witch, and considering what you've done tonight, you totally earned this."

Adena screamed again as Cain blocked more of her random attacks while she backed blindly away. Finally, she vanished into the shadows, still moaning in terrible pain, holding on to her face with her left hand while groping blindly in the dark.

"Well... Remind me never to get you mad." Cain said once they were certain they were safe.

"Terra, that was amazing!" Bloom smiled proudly at her young friend. "Cain, why don't you and Flora stay here while Techna and I go help Stella and Musa with the other witch?"

"Sounds good to me." Nodded Cain, putting his weapon away.

* * *

><p>"Sound Barrier!" Shouted Musa, as many of her shields appeared around the buildings on the street when black fire erupted from the sewars below.<p>

"Musa!" Sadie called again, coughing from where she stood, backed up against one of Musa's barriers.

"Hang on, girl!" Musa shouted, flying towards the dog, at least until a wall of black flames shot out from Delta's hands at her, sending her into a brick wall.

"Fire catcher!" Came Bloom's voice, and soon all of the fire had vanished as she absorbed it into the dragon flame within her.

"Musa, are you ok?" Asked Stella, as their Zoomix wings were replaced by their regular Believix wings.

"I'll be fine, you guys got here just in time, she was going crazy!" Musa stood up, looking over at Delta who seemed to be seething with rage.

"What? How did you escape my sister?" Demanded an outraged Delta.

"Well..." Techna began, but at that moment, a figure appeared in an alley, covered in shadows, holding a hand to her face as though to hide it in shame.

"Sister!" Delta exclaimed. "What did those fairies do to you?"

"It wasn't them, it was that freshman, Terra. That brat blinded me with some kind of poison!" Adena whined as Delta rushed to her side.

"We aren't done yet Winx! We'll be back, and tell Terra that when we do come back, she'll pay for what she did!" Delta snarled, now taking her sister's left arm to support and guide her now blinded sibling. "Maybe our bosses will know some kind of cure. C'mon." She added quietly, soothingly to her sister before the two of them vanished into a black portal behind them.

"Well... I'm glad that's over with." Aisha commented as Musa's shields disappeared.

"Let's go check on Terra, Flora and Cain." Nodded Bloom in relief.

* * *

><p>"Wow, is it getting late." Cain commented, looking at his watch on his right wrist.<p>

"Don't worry, I'm sure your plans will go off without any problems from here on out." Flora was saying reassuringly as her friends reappeared.

"That was quick." Terra commented, returning back to her civilian form.

"Well, that spell you used on Adena certainly was a powerful number." Musa commented.

"I'm not sure if there is a cure for that kind of poison when it's used on witches in an offensive attack." Techna added.

"But I would advise you not use it too terribly often." Aisha smiled. "You don't want to go throwing that kind of power around, otherwise your enemies might think it's a signature attack or something and wind up using it against you."

"Don't worry Aisha, I plan on saving it for a select few necessary situations." Nodded Terra in response.

"That would be best. You've shown real potential tonight, Terra. I'm so proud of you!" Bloom said, causing Terra to blush in embarrassment, putting a nervous hand behind her head.

"If there's nothing else, I think we should head back to our shop." Flora said suddenly.

"Sadie, why don't you go with them for tonight? I think Dad isn't going to be home from work until later, and Cain and I still have our plans too." Terra looked down at her dog.

"All right, I don't see what it could hurt. I always enjoy being with the Winx and Kiko." Sadie agreed, jumping up to lick Terra, who laughed and hugged her dog back.

"I'm terrified to think about what the Fairy Pets have done again..." Stella shuddered.

"Maybe I can scare them straight tonight." Sadie said in mock aggression, to which everyone laughed, even Stella chuckled a little.

"Well, we don't wanna keep our two love birds waiting any longer. We can take care of your dog while you're out!" Stella said, though she still dreaded what they might encounter on their return home.

"Let's go then, Terra!" Cain smiled, before grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the Winx.

Once Terra and Cain were out of sight, the Winx girls all looked at each other.

"Well, I guess this means we'd better head home." Bloom sighed, feeling some of the dread that Stella was showing.

Upon their arrival, Stella covered her eyes with her left hand, too terrified to look inside Love and Pet.

"Ok... here goes..." Bloom hesitated, then opened the door.

Musa, Flora and Aisha all gasped in terror at the sight that greeted them. Kiko was chasing the Pets throughout the store, as the pets were either knocking over boxes of pet food to get into them, or overfilling the bathing tubs with bubbly soap, or sending Stella's make-up all over the store.

Sadie gave a loud, booming bark that surprised all of them, including the girls which caused the pets to freeze in mid-air, and poor Kiko to run smack into the reception desk where Bloom normally worked.

"Why you little-!" Stella practically screamed upon seeing the make-up on the pets, walls and floors.

The Pets let out terrified yells as Sadie began to chase them, and Kiko joined in on trying to corral the rather wild Pets. Kiko hopped on top of Sadie's back, then let out a yell that sounded like a battle cry as Sadie barked since talking wouldn't do any good in reeling in the Pets.

"Ugh... While those two are working on disciplinary action, we need to clean up." Sighed Aisha, scratching the back of her head.

* * *

><p>At that same time, Terra was trying to get out of Cain where he was leading her to.<p>

"Come on, can't you tell me?" She pleaded.

"Nope, it's a surprise. I'm just glad that fight with Adena didn't last much longer or we would've missed it." Cain grinned rather mischievously.

"Missed what?" Terra tilted her head as they rounded the corner.

"Our reservations here." Cain finally revealed why he was being all secretive.

"At this restaurant? But... You have to get reservations a week ahead of time to even get through the door!" Terra gasped at the fancy building. "And I feel like a mess, all sweaty from that fight-" She stopped herself, realizing quite suddenly that Stella and Astraia were rubbing off on her.

"Haha- Don't worry about that." Cain grinned.

"B-but... this means you were planning on asking me out for a while, doesn't it?" Terra's face was now the same shade of red as the streaks in her hair.

"Yeah. I just couldn't find the right moment, or pluck up the courage. So I asked a certain group of senior specialists for some advice, and King Sky. Let's just say, they certainly helped me figure out how to ask out a beautiful fairy." Cain bowed to Terra, who was blinking rapidly. Looking- and feeling- quite embarrassed and overwhelmed. "Let's head in. I don't want your Dad getting upset at me for keeping you up too late." He offered her his hand, which she took after a moments' hesitation.

* * *

><p>The Wizards of the Black Circle were waiting for a triumphant arrival of the two Witches, however, when they appeared before them, Ogron saw that he was frustratingly disappointed and now angry at Terra.<p>

"How did this happen?" He demanded.

"It was that newbie fairy, Terra. She used some kind of snake poison right in my sister's face, and now she's blinded and in pain!" Delta exclaimed in outrage.

Ogron's eyes narrowed in dislike at this news.

"Terra is growing more powerful each time we come in contact. Soon, she may be able to take us on." Dumon stated in obvious worry.

"Despite our best efforts, the people of this world are still learning to believe in magic and fairies all over again." Snarled Anagan.

"No..." Snapped an annoyed Ogron. "Our plans have yet to come to full operation... There is still time, and soon we will be one step closer to eliminating the last fairy of Earth. We can't forget our goal. Delta, you still have work to do and chaos to spread. For now, Adena will remain with us. She will only be a hinderance in her current state."

"A-A hinderance?!" Spluttered Adena, but a squeeze on the arm from Delta told her not to argue with these men and she quieted down rather quickly.

"Well, Delta? What are you waiting for? Get to work on downtown Gardenia, we'll do the rest." Ogron snapped, sounding rather annoyed and impatient. "Or I will take your powers away from you and you'll never be witches again."

"R-right. Sorry sister, I've gotta go." Delta swallowed before leaving her sister by an old tree.

"Don't worry about me. I'll get used to this, then that fairy will pay!" Growled Adena, to which Delta gave an unseen smile before glancing back at the wizards, then vanishing from their alley way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments- <strong>

Ok, I know this chapter was short, about seven or eight pages, but I hope you guys can understand! I've been going through a lot with my Dad, and this chapter pretty much covered what I wanted in it. Yes, Terra and Cain are an established couple now. I'm going to be working on my other girls as time goes on.

I'm going to be working on the next chapter asap obviously. Now that I'm writing again, I want to KEEP writing! Even if I'm not able to do much original art or such currently, because of being my Dad's main care provider, at least I'm still able to be creative somehow. And this certainly helps with my crabbiness levels. I can work it out in my writing!

On to the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine- The Freshman Ball **

The rest of Terra's weekend went off without a hitch. She brought Sadie back home after her date with Cain, and on Sunday she spent the day with her father. She made her promised call to Astraia and her friends that same afternoon, while her father made her favorite meal- chicken and dumplings- for dinner that night. It was a bittersweet departure when the Winx came to fetch her for her return back to Alfea that evening.

"Don't worry, you'll be back for Halloween, then the Holidays, so we'll be having some fun then too, kid." Carl put a hand on his daughter's head, looking over at Cain who'd come with the Speacialists to help escort them safely back to the school for Fairies.

"Now all we have to worry about is making sure the Freshmen Ball goes off without a hitch!" Stella said.

"What do you mean?" Asked Terra as they walked away from the apartment buildings.

"Well, during normal years we host a Freshman Ball as you know. And each year, the Witches of Cloud Tower are not invited." Techna explained in her matter-of-fact textbook voice.

"Yeah?" Blinked a now curious Terra.

"So, each year the Witches respond by trying to crash our party or curse the gifts to the Fairies by the Specialists. In our Freshman Ball, the Trix tried using that as a distraction to find Stella's ring because it was formed from a part of the dragon flame eons ago." Bloom went on.

"But fortunately, that was when Bloom's Winx kicked in, and those nasty Trix didn't get my ring!" Stella said, showing off the Ring of Solaria on her right hand.

"Wow, that's a beautiful ring, Stella." Terra's eyes were wide at seeing the otherworldly piece of jewelery.

"Oh yes, isn't it? Unfortunately, I haven't had a need to use it in years, not since our Magic Charmix days. But I always keep it on me." Stella flipped her hair, a gesture that Terra had no difficulty in realizing that Stella was where Astraia got that movement from.

"Well, enough with the chit-chat, we have to get you ladies back to Alfea so we can return to our posts, and Cain here can meet with the other Freshman Specialists to figure out what they are giving to the Fairies this year." Sky said as though he were talking about the weather while Sadie decided to start barking in excitement.

"You know, I'd better get started on some practice since I'll be D.J-ing this thing." Musa said while they were walking through the gates to enter the Alfea college grounds minutes later. The Specialists parted ways at the front gates, Cain going back to Red Fountain in the air ship Timmy piloted.

Sadie was jumping around in an excited manner, her tail held high as she barked in greeting to other Alfea fairies as they passed. In return, the other fairies smiled and waved back before moving on to their destinations.

* * *

><p>At the dormitories, the Winx said farewell for now, and Terra was met by her friends in her dormitory.<p>

"Girls!" She exclaimed in surprise as Astraia's arms were wrapped tightly around her neck in a sudden embrace.

"We were so worried! When we heard what happened, we wanted to go straight to Earth to help you, but Ms. Faragonda forbade it." Sniffed Kaelea as Chita zoomed forward to collide with Terra's head.

"I'm all right, guys, really." Smiled Terra, plucking Chita from the top of her head, holding the pixie in her hands instead. "The Winx and Speacialists were there, and I managed to give one of the two witches a what-for, so we're good now." She walked into the room as Marcie closed the door.

"While you were gone, when we came back, we decided to do some training for a bit. I mean, if we're going to be facing some real trouble in our future, we've gotta be at our best, right?" Liona said with a smile.

"Exactly, and right now we are no where near as strong as the Winx, statistically speaking. We still have a long ways to go before we can challenge the Fairy Hunters." Ion nodded in agreement. "Logically, the sooner we start, the sooner we can level up just like the Winx have done."

"That sounds great. But how do you expect us all to do that? I mean, I feel a power jolt whenever someone back on Earth believes in fairies and magic. And I felt like I got loads better at that obsticle course the Winx set up for us before we left for the Parents Appreciation weekend thing." Terra agreed, and she recalled an incident back at the Magix Mall when she felt such a rejuvenating jolt of power after passing out that it was hard to explain properly at the time.

"You know, all this talk about battles and training before a big dance is a wee bit depressing-" Marcie sighed, flopping into one of the bean bag chairs in the dormitory in mock-depression as her pixie, Scarlett, fluttered over to her to sit on her lap.

"Yes, let's talk about something else, like what the Red Fountain boys will be giving the fairies this year!" Astraia agreed with Marcie.

* * *

><p>"So... the fairies are holding a ball right now in Alfea?" Ogron frowned.<p>

"That's what I heard." Nodded Dumon.

"How sickening." Adena frowned in disgust.

"We should take advantage of their being busy, we need to search more for the White Circle here on Earth." Stated Ogron. "If we can find it before the Winx and Terra, then we will be one step ahead!"

"And what are we to do while you're off looking for this circle thingy?" Asked Delta, feeling annoyed and put off.

"We'll give you two options... First, you can stay here and cause havoc that distracts the Winx from our mission, or you go to Alfea to do that." Snarled Ogron.

"Ooooh... I like the Alfea idea. I can destroy that place in my sleep!" Adena's smile was now a nasty one, even though she was blind still, with her sister's help, she was just as dangerous as before.

"Then get to it. The powers we gave you should help increase your odds at success while we search this rock of a planet for the White Circle." Nodded Ogron.

In response, Delta grabbed Adena by the arm, and with a nod to the Wizards of the Black Circle, the two vanished into what looked like a black hole that appeared behind them.

Reappearing, hovering high above the school of Alfea, the two sisters smirked.

"The school is right below us, sister." Delta said, while the pair hovered unnoticed by anyone.

"I say let's lay in wait, then attack when the party is going. After all, the Fairies never invite the Witches to their little parties." Adena was simply itching with excitement at the thought of the fairies running in fear from them.

* * *

><p>In the dormitories, Sadie sniffed something she didn't like and hurried to the windows. Once she was there and saw two witches hovering above, she barked an alarm, which summoned Terra from the bathroom.<p>

"Sadie, what is it girl?" She asked, still brushing her hair after having just showered. She could see where her dog was looking at and barking, but when she looked out as well, there was nothing in the skies above Alfea. "You need to calm down, Sadie. There's nothing out there. I think you're just all worked up from the excitement."

Sadie's eyes narrowed in frustration that her master did not clearly see what was going on out there. Somehow the Witches had seen Terra approaching her window, and vanished just in the nick of time.

"Is everything all right?" Chita had been woken from her afternoon nap, and came flying out of her little house on Terra's dresser top.

"It's fine, Sadie's just gotten excited from all this energy going around today." Terra smiled as Sadie gave a frustrated grumble before planting herself next to the window, from that point on refusing to move.

"Here we are!" Kaelea was out of breath as she ran through the dormitory entrance, skidding on the floor and nearly crashing into a book case until her pixie cast a spell that slowed her down enough to gain her footing.

"Woah! Thanks, Flicka dear!" She panted.

"What was that all about?" Blinked Terra.

"Terra, make youself presentable! We have guests coming!" Kaelea pointed out the window where Sadie was now standing guard.

"Huh?" Blinked an apparently oblivious Terra, holding her hairbrush in her right hand mid stroke still, then she looked out the window again to see a Red Fountain ship approaching, followed by many others behind. "Holy cow! I can't believe I spaced it on what time they were coming! Tell the girls I'll be right down!"

Kaelea sighed, rolling her eyes and turning away as Terra changed into something that wasn't a lilac tank-top and light blue slacks while Chita helped with her hair- putting it back in a headband after making sure every last strand was in order. Kaelea herself was wearing a knee length pink dress with a light blue, silk jacket over it apart from flat bottomed blue shoes since Astraia was making sure that today was going to be a perfect day weather-wise for a ball.

Terra came back around, wearing a blue jean tiered skirt, a violet blouse with magenta lines around the collor and bottom as well as semi-transparent sleeves, and black flat-bottomed shoes with a magenta strap around her ankels that matched her hair.

Once the two met up with their friends- Sadie and the pixies stayed behind to watch from the windows- Ion was the one who greeted them.

* * *

><p>"Isn't this fascinating?" Ion asked, she was in her bright green t-shirt, black cut-off pants, and shoes with white socks today. "A coming together that celebrates the Freshmen students from two schools. Though I hear last time they had this, it was on a weekday two days in to the school year."<p>

"Man, why couldn't we have been so lucky?" Sighed Astraia, who had her hair up in a butterfly clip pony tail.

"Oh please, you just would like an excuse to not have to go to school for a day. That little comment had nothing to do with the dance." Marcie stuck her tongue out at Astraia. Today for the occasion, she wore a bright pink lacey, tierd tank-top, a violet skirt that matched her eyes with a blue lace on the bottom and pink high-heeled platforms about an inch tall. Her ginger-red hair was tied back in a knot at the nape of her neck with a blue headband around her head to keep her bangs back.

The six girls joined the rest of the crowd of alfea fairies to welcome their guests for that day. Nearly all of them were dressed in semi-formal wear as well, as requested by Ms. Griselda during the announcements in the caffeteria at breakfast.

The Red Fountain ships landed in the front courtyard, and the opening of the hatches was met by many giggles and blushing faces as Ms. Faragonda and Ms. Griselda went to greet Headmaster Saladin.

"Welcome, Headmaster! I hope you had an enjoyable journey from Red Fountain?" Ms. Faragonda said.

"Oh yes, smooth sailing so to speak. I'm looking forward to tonight, I hear it's going to be quite the party." Saladin replied with a wide smile.

"Indeed, Headmaster Saladin. Some of our best allumni will be hosting it this year, and they are very excited."

As the two Heads of the schools conversed, the freshmen of Red Fountain started coming off the ships, each carrying what looked like ancient treasure chests. Cain, who was at the head of the group with Aaron at the other side of the chest caught Terra's eyes, gave a small wink, and continued walking at the front before someone crashed into him and Arron.

"Last time I hear the gift was a beatiful golden egg with etherial butterflies that came out of it." One of the fairies in the crowd whispered rather loudly.

"Really?" Her friend replied, a little more reserved than her friend. "I wonder what it is this year then!"

Terra saw Cain wink at her, she grinned back then found herself blushing when Marcie saw what was happening and slapped Terra on the back.

"Ooh, check out the boys this year!" Astraia practically squealed. In particular, she spotted Arron, one of the members of Cain's group, rather quickly.

"Please, Astraia!" Sighed an annoyed Ion. "They're just like all the other Red Fountain boys we've met. Nothing to fuss over."

"Ladies, please!" Ms. Griselda's sharp voice cracked like a whip, calling an abrupt end to all the conversation about the boys, and what the gifts could be that they brought with them. "Once the Red Fountain boys have settled in, then made their preparations for tonight, _then _you may socialize with your random banter. Until then, you will be dismissed."

As though in protest to Ms. Griselda's statement, the young class of fairies volume in talking went up while the crowd thinned.

"_Really_..." Huffed Ms. Griselda.

"Calm down, can you blame them? We haven't had a Freshmen Ball in a few years with everything that's happened. I'm sure they're just excited." Ms. Faragonda smiled, amused at how aghast Ms. Griselda was.

* * *

><p>Back in the dormitories, the fairies were all busy getting ready for that evening's big event. In one particular dormitory, Terra, Ion, Kaelea, Marcie and Liona were standing in front of Astraia.<p>

"Come on, Astraia, you said you had a surprise for us?" Asked Marcie, eagerly.

"Well yes. I had asked my cousin Stella for a favor, in regards to this special occasion. I asked her during Parents' Appreciation. And she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this." Astraia flipped her hair imperiously before grinning. "So, why don't you close your eyes, and I'll reveal the big surprise!"

The five girls all looked at each other, rather amused, then did as they were asked. Astraia, using a spell Stella taught her, directed the palms of her hands at her friends. A bright green and blue aura sparkled around each of the girls- who could feel new clothing wrapping around them, replacing their standard semi-formal outfits.

"All right, go for it ladies." Smiled Astraia.

When the girls opened their eyes, they saw that they were in completely new dresses designed specifically for the ball. It was as though each dress was tailored to the personality of each girl. Terra's dress was a knee length high-low, with a feathery layered front and back. The front portion being the knee length, while the back was a foot above the ankles. At her waist was a wrap-around fuschia feather lace, as well as a semi transparent lilac transparent sash with bright glimmering fuschia gems. The neck line was straight, with the same semi-transparent lilac cloth wrapping around her neck. Her sleeves were the same shade of purple as the dress, with the shoulders being exposed. Three slanted rows of amethyst gems held the light fabric of the sleeves. Her shoes were now flat bottomed violet shoes with a strap around the ankle, and up her feet from the shoe itself.

Next was Ion, who was now wearing a knee-length four tiered dress with the tiers being at the knee. Her dress was the same shade of dark green that she wore when she transformed into a fairy, with violet shoulder straps on the left shoulder to the right of the neckline and under her right breast. At her hip was a semi-transparent violet with emerald gems cloth held there with a violet sash that started at the right of her waist to go up on the left side. On her right shoulder was the same semi-transparent cloth on her waist, as a small sleeve. Her shoes were high-heeled platforms about two inches tall, emerald green tied on the outside with a violet shoe lace. On her right wrist she wore three green bangles, and on her upper left arm she wore two green bangles.

Kaelea's new dress was also a knee length high-low, the front being knee length while the back was barely ankle length. Her dress was a deep blue, with the waist and below being ruffled to look like an illusion of waves. Her shoes were the same shade of deep blue, with a ruby arched wrap around her ankles and high-heels. At her waist was a semi-transparent light blue sash, adorned with ruby gemstones. Just below her breasts was a light blue gem encrusted looping halter-top. Her shoulers were covered by the same fabric at her waist in the form of mini-sleeves. On her right shoulder the fabric wrapped from the top down across her breast to the other side underneath the halter top. On her arms was a semi-transparent red fabric that matched the ruby gems on her dress and shoes.

Marcie also was now in a high-low gown. The bottom was just above the ankle line, while the front arched down from the right of the hips to the left at the knees. It was a five tiered dress at the edges all around and at the hips with the colors intervaling between bright pink and light blue. A layer of pale blue lace acted almost like a cape around her legs. A semi-transparent sash of bright pink hung from her right shoulder to the left of her waist and around it, encrusted with sapphire jewels. The dress the waist up was light blue, as well as the wrap-around sleeves. Underneath the main fabric of her sleeves was the same fabric as the sash that went to her elbows. Her shoes were high-heeled light blue dress shoes with straps crossing her ankles and wrapping her feet above the shoe itself.

After Marcie, Liona was admiring her own new gown, also modeled in the high-low fashion. Her dress was four tiered, the back falling in a triangle shape. The main color of her gown was mulberry, with the tiered layers intervaling between mulberry, orange and pale green. At her waist was a small semi-transparent amber sash with ruby and emerald gems encrusted into it. A pale amber sash started at her right shoulder, wrapping down to her left underneath her left breast. Hanging from it on the right side were emerald and ruby gems. On her left shoulder was a mulberry wrap, making it appear to be a multicolored 'x' in the front. Hanging from the left shoulder fabric was pale amber semi-transparent cloth acting as a sleeve, adorned with the same gemstones as on her sashes. At her hands, she wore mulberry gloves. On her feet were now high-heeled platform shoes about two inches tall, with mulberry and amber fabric with her toes exposed.

"Excellente!" Astraia cried in excitement.

"Wow, Astraia! These dresses are fabulous!" Marcie exclaimed, turning herself around.

"I'm so glad you like them. These are the kind of dresses we can wear in future formal gatherings, ya know?" She giggled, still acting like a young school girl at the fact that her friends were enjoying their gifts.

"What about you? Didn't you get yourself one?" Asked Kaelea.

"Well, when my cousin asked me if I wanted one, I didn't want to sound too greedy or anything. I mean, she designed these wonderful dresses for my best friends. But after some talking, she did make me this-" She raised her right hand over her head, and her own magic aura- bright green and blue- wrapped around her as well. "She wanted to do a set of six gowns, just like how she does with the Winx." She said as the dress appeared on her. "And with a few of my suggestions, we were able to make this."

Astraia was now in a pale green high-low gown. The skirt was a mini skirt, while the back hung down to her ankles and wrapped around to the front in two layers. At her waist was a pale blue sash with bright emerald gems that covered above the cloth at her hips, then underneath the fabric from the tail of the dress. The fabric above the hips was the same pale green as the skirt, with pale green ruffles from the start of her right shoulder down to the left of her hips. Her left shoulder was covered in the same fabric as the sash acting as a sleeve. Around her neck was a diamond necklace that had a matching emerald gem mounted in the front middle. The back of the dress was three tiered, in a pattern of pale green and blue while her shoes were pale green with pale sapphire gems up to the fabric that wrapped around her feet and ankles in an arched manner.

"I think we will be mighty impressive to those boys from Red Fountain in these, don't you ladies?" Astraia was quite pleased with herself as the pixies tittered in excitement. "All that's left for us is getting our hair ready for the occasion."

"Ooh! We can help with that!" Flicka squealed in joy.

"That's ok, sweetie. But I think I wanna do my own hair for this event." Smiled Kaelea.

"I agree, and it's quite logical not to want all the work in preparing for this ball done by others. But I do appreciate the offer, my little ones." Ion smiled as Bibi looked crestfallen. She had something rather particular in mind for her hair.

"You're no fun," Bibi huffed, sitting cross-leged on Ion's right shoulder.

"Well, let's get going ladies. And not let anyone see the dresses!" Astraia suddenly clapped her hands.

So each fairy and her pixie left to their dormitories to spend some time working on their hair and make-up before dinner, since the ball would take place just after the meal. The six girls saw that many of the other fairies were all set and ready to go, the closer dinner approached.

Terra worked on curling her hair, since it was so short she couldn't really do too many fancy hair styles. But she still managed- with the help of a simple spell- to tie some fuschia streaks in her hair back to keep it out of her face.

Kaelea's hair became super curly,almost a perm, held up in a knot at the back of her head. Her bangs didn't need much curling since they were naturally curly.

While Astraia put her hair back in a single, giant knot at the right side of her head by her shoulders. She even brushed her bangs back in to the side-knot.

And Marcie had a battle with her thick, ginger-brown hair, taking her grown out bangs and braiding them to wrap around her head. She put half of her hair into a high, messy knot, then let the rest of it hang freely.

For Ion, she took her hair out of its standard braid. She then made two braids, twisting them twice around the back of her head and with the rest of the hair, put it into three mini-knots at the nape of ther neck.

Then there was Liona, who took a family heirloom that was given to her by her mother- a glimmering, old fashioned headband style tiara that matched her dress in color and shine. It held her naturally permed hair up, with her bangs also tucked behind the tiara. The tiara was large, with the bump starting on the right, getting smaller to the other side.

Finally the dinner bell rang throughout Alfea just as the final touches were being put on.

"Good luck!" Garnet called after Liona as she hurried into the hallway to join her friends. They could hear Sadie barking at the noise the bell was making.

"Everyone ready?" Asked Kaelea.

"Eyup." Marcie nodded.

"Then let's join the throng!" Astraia declared as though this were the start of a battle, to which Terra, Marcie and Liona giggled like mad.

* * *

><p>In the Cafeteria the room- though large- seemed more crowded than usual.<p>

"Welcome Fairies, and Specialists, ladies and gentlemen!" Ms. Faragonda's voice rang throughout the crowded Cafeteria. "The end of dinner will signal the start of the ball. Until then, please enjoy yourselves and remember, ladies, keep a good spirit about this event."

"The same goes to you young lads," Headmaster Saladin agreed. "Behave, have fun, and be mindful of one another as this event progresses."

"Behave huh?" Sneered Adena outside the cafeteria.

"As soon as the party is in full swing, I know just the thing to make those simps loose their dinner." Delta grinned, even though she couldn't see, she could still hear just as well.

"Best of all, they have no idea what's really going on back on Earth." Adena was still beside herself at how smoothly their plans were playing out. So far, no fairy or Specialist had been able to detect them. All thanks to the magic they were given by the Wizards of the Black Circle when they joined the four wizards.

The very air around the crowd seemed filled with excitement, as the students and teachers finished their meals, many of the fairies and young men started craning their necks or leaning back to see if Ms. Faragonda was done eating. Finally, a hush fell on the chattering crowd when she stood up.

"If you would all please rise-" She said, her voice ringing in the silence.

A few moments of scraping of chairs and benches.

"I declaire this ball officially started!" She raised her right hand, and all the tables vanished to reveal the ball room and its decorations to many 'wows,' and 'oohs'. At the other end of the room near the stage, the Winx appeared with Musa at the D.J. stand.

* * *

><p>It was a couple of hours later, when the party was in full swing that the two witches outside appeared just beyond anyone's line of view.<p>

"So where's the glass, sister?" Delta asked, and Adena grabbed Delta's right wrist to place it on the nearest window pane. "Ah..." Grinned Delta. Closing her sightless eyes, she dug her fingertips into the glass before sending a shockwave of black lightning through the first window pane. Then the attack spread around.

They could hear the startled fairies and specialists looking around in confusion as the glass began to shatter, sounding like tons of ice on a river cracking. But once the attack reached the top of the dome, that's when Terra apparently recognized the style of lightning.

* * *

><p>"It's the Witches!" Terra called out over the now shouting fairies and specialists.<p>

"They think they can crash OUR party?" Astraia said angrilly, having been in the middle of a dance with Kreon.

"Let's go girls! Magic Winx!" Terra called out their transformation before Bloom and her group had a chance to step in.

"Well, somebody's getting brave!" Stella said from the stage, seeing six Winx fairies appear from their aura's of light.

"That's good though, why don't we see what they can do?" Bloom asked, holding back a laugh at how much Terra and her friends were reminging her of herself and her friends back when they first started.

"You sure about this?" Aisha asked.

"It seems logical." Techna agreed with Bloom. "Sometimes the best way to see your students progress is to see how they handle them in real life chaos." There was suddenly a ping on her pager. "Oh...! An alert on my scanners on Earth?" She blinked, pulling it from her necklace.

"What is it?" Musa looked over from her D.J. equipment.

"Apparently our friends the Wizards are on the move. My sensors detect them going throughout Gardenia currently." Techna answered, staring at the holographic image that sprang up from her mini 'pager'.

"Right when we're attacked by witches? That's just too coincidental!" Flora stated.

"Well, so long as they are not harming anyone or anything, we should keep tabs on what's going on here." Bloom heard a loud crash from outside that made her wince.

* * *

><p>"Ok you witches, we know you're out here!" Shouted Liona.<p>

"If they won't show themselves, then perhaps I can persuade them to." Kaelea flew above Alfea college, before closing her eyes. Her dark blue aura surrounded her body, seeming to eminate from her, before a strange winged bird appeare in front of her, taking off. "You know what to do," She whispered.

"What is that thing?" Astraia asked.

"It's a type of hawk from her homeworld, I believe a Skylene?" Terra asked, to which Kaelea smiled with a shrug. "They work hand in hand with fairies of illusion, I think."

"Well, I dunno why I asked Kaelea when Terra knows anything and everything there is to know about animals." Astraia said in a light tone of voice.

Suddenly two outraged shouts brought an end to their conversation as Adena and Delta abruptly took to the air. The bird had found out their hiding spot without any problems.

With Adena pulling her sister up to the air, the multiple strange birds that found and attacked them forced them out of hiding.

"Little pest!" Shouted Adena as Delta aimed blindly at the birds nearest to her that she could see. "Ring of Black Fire!" She called out, while keeping her sister nearby. Black flames erupted around the pair, engulfing the birds which vanished upon contact with the flames.

"It's not only witches that can use illusions as trickery, don'cha'know?" Kaelea was obviously fighting hard the urge to burst out laughing at the witches.

Delta glared with clenched fists, gritting her teeth in anger and frustration. Adena hovered silently next to her.

Adena was the one who acted next. Even though she couldn't see, she could hear the fairies fluttering around them, taunting them. She could hear a set of fairy wings closest to her. Her temper broke when the fairy Kaelea tauneted them so recklessly.

"You like to make fun of us? Well, laugh at this!" Shouted Adena, raising her hands, knowing she'd hit a fairy, and she didn't care which fairy she'd hit.

The fairy nearest to her was Astraia, who realised quite quickly that if she moved, the school would be struck again, possibly some of their fellow classmates would be struck. When the witch raised her hands, and the black lightning shot from the fingers, Astraia braced herself.

A pair of alarmed shouts from Stella and her dance partner, Leon, told her there were still people down there as she suspected. Gritting her teeth, reaching out her hands at full length in front of her as the lightning approached, she 'caught' the attack in the palms of her hands. Even though it was in her hands the electricity from it seemed to engulf her. She let out a yell as she held on to it, closing her eyes against the pain from the attack.

"Astraia!" Terra shouted in shock at the sight.

She didn't respond, yet there seemed to be something changing about the black lightning as it appeared to be bleached white before she shot it right back at Adena. The witches weren't able to dodge it in time either.

"How's that feel, witches?" Snapped Astraia triumphantly, having never had the chance at this particular spell of catching, converting and redirecting lightning before.

"You know what they say, what goes around comes around, fairies-" Adena snarled, rebounding from the counterattack. With a battle cry, black flames combined with the lightning were aimed at the fairies.

"Wall of waves!" Marcie called out, while Ion used her powers to magnify the water shield's effectiveness.

"You think your little shield can protect you from our black magic?" Shouted Delta over the roar of the noise. They increased the amount of power that went into their attack, to end the stalemate with the fairies flying backwards, almost landing hard on the floor of the caffeteria turned ball room.

"Are you guys ok?" Asked Stella, her voice rather higher than normal after what she'd seen her younger neice do.

"We're fine..." Panted Liona. "Diamond spears!" She shouted her attack spell before the witches got the better of them again.

Forced to dodge mid-air, Delta spun around with a wave of black fire halting the diamond made attack from the fairy. She remembered diamond was something that could not be destroyed entirely, but at least she could stall it and dodge.

Liona smirked, pulling her hands back like a puppettier. The Diamond Spears redirected themselves in mid-air, slamming into the back of Delta who yelled out in shock and outrage. Adena in return sent another series of random strikes at their targets. Listening for the sound of fairy wings as they spread out.

"Dragon shield!" Bloom called out as some of the lightning nearly struck Musa's D.J. equipment, and the stage.

"Marcie! Ion! I've got an idea!" Terra shouted over the racket, on sudden inspiration when she recalled a scene from an old story her father used to read to her about a quest to destroy a ring of power in a mystical, ancient land. "If this works, we should be rid of these two witches."

"What's the idea?" Ion asked at once when they regrouped above Alfea college.

"Marcie, you summon up the biggest wall of water you can, Ion, you use your techno-magic to enhance the power of it. I will combine with a little something all my own." Terra explained.

Delta and Adena, who were just far enough out of ear shot couldn't hear what was being planned. Adena gave a rather curious expression as the three fairies rose up even higher, and everyone else remained where they were.

A roar of thunder, and what appeared to be a small sphere of water that just grew until it was taller than any of them. The source being Marcie, who spread out her arms to full length on either side of her body. The result of which being the pillar of water became a wave hovering in mid-air with the sound of a giant waterfall.

A green electronic grid engulfed the wave, and when Adena heard Terra shouting 'NOW', she grabbed her sister's hand. She used the combined power of her black flames and Delta's black lightning to fire at the oncoming water attack. But it wasn't just water, now it was like a river had been released, with the heads and bodies of horses racing along with it at them. For a few moments it seemed to be a stalemate between the powers, then after Ion increased her power to its limit, along with Marcie and Terra's help, the waves over came the two witches, sending them flying well away.

It was a few moments before they realised they had won, but reality set in when Astraia, Kaelea and Liona all flew up to hug them with much shouting and joy.

Bloom lowered her flame shield when she saw it was safe to do so.

"Well done girls!" Ms. Faragonda, who'd witnessed the whole fight, stepped forward before anyone else could.

"Eh?" Terra blinked, having been caught in the moment of the battle, then being surprised at how quickly it was over this time.

"I think it's safe to say, though, that we will have to continue this party outside, with the mess those two witches left." Faragonda's gaze fell on the shattered glass and burn marks from the lightning Adena shot at them.

"Stella!" Astraia called as her cousin hurried over. "Why didn't you guys step in to help?" She demanded even though she was still out of breath. "I was nearly barbequed up there!"

"Yes, but you still had control of the situation." Techna replied when Stella hugged her younger cousin in relief. "This battle showed us you have indeed been working at improving your skills."

"And on our next mission back on Earth, we may just consider taking some of you with us. Especially if your Convergence training goes well." Bloom added in excitement.

"Sweet!" Astraia and Marcie called out.

* * *

><p>So once everyone was moved outside into the front courtyard, Bloom and the Winx were at the stage once more. This time, Musa was playing loud music that they could really dance to.<p>

"You've certainly changed from when we first met," Cain said to Terra- she and her friends were now back in their regular forms. "You weren't even ready to accept you could perform magic, or were a fairy to begin with, now look!"

"What? Does the fact that I've found my own group of friends and we are learning to hold our own really that surprising?" Smiled Terra as they danced amongst their peers.

"Not really. I'm just glad you gave us all a chance." Replied Cain. He glanced over at his friend, Kreon, who was dancing once again with Astraia.

"Me too... even with the Wizards, and the Witches. I wouldn't trade this for the world." Terra agreed.

The party from that point forward went on without any disturbances. Techna kept a close watch on the Wizard's movements on Earth, and when Ms. Faragonda announced it was time for the gift exchange, silence fell on the large group as the young men from Red Fountain brought forward their trunks that carried the gifts. The trunks were opened, to reveal little shimmering boxes, one for each of the fairies.

Liona seemed to sense exactly what they were because her face lit up in excitement.

"These are rare gemstones," Headmaster Saladin said kindly, "Which will take the shape of the aura of the fairy that it is given to. Gathered from the dimension of Nymphyra, we hope you young ladies will enjoy this."

Terra looked around curiously as the young men walked up to each of the fairies with a small box in their hands. Cain approached her with a polite bow, handing her her own box. She opened it. The stone inside was glowing the same color as her violet magic aura, before taking the shape of an amethyst stone cut into a perfectly symmetrical paw print of a wolf.

"These are beautiful!" Liona exclaimed. "I'd always heard of the Auranite, but I never thought I'd get to see it." She smiled at the Specialist who handed her her own little box, Galen.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Terra was back in her room. Liona had taken each of her friends gifts, to make them into necklaces. The pixies were snoozing in their little homes on the girls' dressers as well.<p>

Terra had gotten out of her dress, and let Chita uncurl her hair. She was now staring out of the dormitory window, the courtyard empty now with the party over and the Freshman Specialists returning. She was now back into her purple night gown with pink night pants, with Sadie curled up on her cushion.

"Everything all right?" Kaelea came out of the bathroom, now ready for bed herself with her hair hanging loosely, wearing a blue night shirt and light blue night pants.

"Oh yeah, just thinking about how crazy today was. With those witches attacking us, then Techna saying that the Wizards are on the move for some reason back on Earth." Terra shook her head. "Those witches didn't do a good job if they were trying to distract us or something."

"Maybe they were just trying to gate-crash the party. There's been a history of witches doing that for ages, ya know?" Shrugged Kaelea.

"Yeah. And tomorrow, we start our training for Convergence." Nodded Terra.

"Oh yes, after today, I don't think it will be much of a challenge." Kaelea flopped onto her bed.

"Back on Earth, this is when the teachers in my stories that I like always say 'we will see, we will see'," Terra hunched her shoulders and imitated Yoda's voice, to which Kaelea laughed at.

"Well, we'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day from what Techna was alluding to." Kaelea rolled off the bed to strip back the covers and bounce in to cover herself.

"Yeah, I wonder what they will throw at us this time?" Terra voiced, kneeling over to scratch Sadie's ears before getting under the covers in her own bed.

"Dunno, but I think we can take it." Kaelea used a simple spell to turn out the lights in their dormitory.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments- <strong>

Yes, lots of nerdy references in this chapter. Anyone who does a lot of reading, or even knows a lot about animated shows, and science fiction movies would be able to recognize some of my references right away. I couldn't help myself. I've been going on a Disney, D.C. Animated Universe, Batman, and Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legends of Korra kick lately since I got sick with a nasty flu/cold bug two weeks ago. There have been days when all I can do is lay around, so it's been a good chance to do some writing during these marathons. Thank heaven I have my lappy (lap top) and netflix on my iPad thanks to my brother letting me use his account. In short, being sick is enabling me to embrace my inner nerd.

I was excited to feel like I can write again. I haven't done as much as I used to since my Dad passed back in November. Today I'm watching History Channel 2 while I'm writing this.

This chapter means I'm getting closer to a part of the story I've been itching to get to. I won't spoil it, but let's just say it's my take on the White Circle. I've not forgotten it, it's a major part of the story!

And yes, a little something is happening with Astraia and another of the specialists. ;) And Astraia is growing in her power every chapter. Considering she IS the fairy of weather, and Stella's cousin. It'd be shameful if she never improved.

As for my deciding on Bloom and the Winx not getting involved with the fight against the Twitches, it's as Techna explained. Sometimes the best way to see how your students are improving is to see them and their performance in a 'real-life' situation. In this case, beating back the gate-crashers. That's how Bloom and her friends learned to hold their own, and it will be crucial to Terra and her friends.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! On to the next!


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